The Laccadive islands, lying seventy-five miles to the west of Malabar, are thirty-two in number, besides rocks and dry spots too small to be inhabited. They extend from the 10th to the 12th degree of North latitude. They are separated by wide channels. The largest of them does not contain six square miles of land. They are surrounded by coral rocks and shoals, which render the: approach dangerous. They yield no grain, their only produce being coconuts, betel-nuts, and plantains. The inhabitants, who are poor, subsist on coconuts and fish; they are of Malabaric extraction, and profess the Mahometan religion; They export coir (the fibrous husk of the coconut) either in the raw state or manufactured into ropes. The best coir cables in the west of the peninsula are made at Anjengo and Cochin, from the fibres of the Laccadive coconuts. Some coral is carried from the surrounding reefs to the continent of India, where it is carved into images, and burned for quicklime. These islands were discovered by Vasco de Gama, but they have not been properly explored. They are politically dependent on Canara, and under the dominion of the English.
To the south of the Laceadives, and extending between the eighth degree of north latitude and the equator, are the Maldives, consisting of numerous islands and islets, grouped into twelve clusters called Atollons, some of which are round, others oval; a rampart of rocks surrounding each cluster serves to defend it from the sea, which rages here with great fury. The large islands are inhabited and cultivated, but a great number are mere rocks and shoals, many of which are flooded at spring tides. They have never been completely explored. Between the different attollons a considerable trade is carried on, as the different branches of manufacturing industry are confined to distinct groupes of islands, some being inhabited by weavers, others by goldsmiths, locksmiths, potters, mat makers, joiners, or other mechanics, all of which are separate. The traders going from island to island are sometimes a year from home. Here, as in the Laccadives, the coconut tree is the chief vegetable production; yet the trees are in greater variety than those of the Laccadives; they have, among others, the wood called candu, which is compared to cork for its lightness. Ambergris and coral are collected in great abundance on the shores. An important fishery of cowries is carried on. Cattle are,rare in these islands. Dogs are banished from them. Poultry is in great abundance. Dreadful depredations are committed both by the rats and the ants. The Maldivians are well made their complexions are olive; they seem to be of Hindoo origin, with a mixture of Arabian blood,t as their, beards are bushy and their bodies hairy. Some of their women are as fair as Europeans. They have a peculiar language. They profess the Mahometan religion, but retain some traces of an older creed They are, for instance, in the practice of sacrificing annually to the god of the winds, by, launching on the sea barks crowned with garlands, and filled with amber and fragrant wood, which they have set on fire. They dress in light silk and cotton stuffs. The more learned among them speak Arabic, expound the Koran, and possess some ideas in astronomy and medicine. Peyrard, who suffered shipwreck here in 1602, describes the natives as an ingenious, brave, and industrious race, but of warm temperaments and dissolute morals. By some Europeans who have visited them, they are praised for their inoffensiveness and hospitality. In 1777; a French vessel, with some ladies of rank, was wrecked on the island of Imetay, and all the sufferers met with the kindest treatment from the chief and his subjects. In, 1812, Lord Minto governor-general of British India, received from the sultan of the Maldives a letter, stating that the vessel Europa, under British colours, had been cast away on the uninhabited island of Andue and that the crew and passengers, amounting to fifty-three in number, were treated in the, most hospitable manner, although the: conduct of several of them was insolent and outrageous in the extreme. The complaint received due attention, reparation was made for the injuries inflicted, and the whole transaction served to place the character of,these people in a most favourable light. We are little acquainted with their internal government, but it does not appear that the groups of islands ever engage in mutual warfare. The houses of the inhabitants hi general. are of coconut wood and leaves. Some of the richer traders have stone houses; The sultan's palace is a low stone building, regularly fortified. The sultan has long been accustomed to send an annual embassy to Ceylon, which has been continued since that island came under the dominion of the English.
At one time a vessel or two from the British settlements used to visit the Maldives to load cowries, but owing to the unhealthiness of the climate, and the long detention found necessary, these visits were discontinued, and the trade is now carried on by Maldivian vessels, which arrive at Balasore in Orissa in the months of June and July, loaded with the various produce of the coconut tree, and with marine products, such as cowries, turtle shell, and salted fish. They leave it in December, carrying home sugar, and some other manufactures, but chiefly rice. Ships from eastern India sometimes resort to the Maldives to procure shark fins for the Chinese, among whom they are valued as an excellent seasoning for soup.
Electronic OCR copy by Lakdiva Books 2000 December.