Piracy in the Nicobars came to an end with the occupation of Nankauri Harbour by the Indian Government in 1869; but two years previous to that it had been necessary to send there a British punitive expedition, on account of the atrocities committed by the natives. A notification of the event was made by Captain N. B. Bedingfield, who commanded the expedition, in the first of the Port Registers entrusted to the Nankauri natives.
"Whereas the natives of these islands have been guilty of several acts of piracy; the crews of no less than four vessels have been massacred; a white woman and two children have been kept prisoners for about two years and a half, and after being most cruelly treated, the poor woman, used for the very vilest purposes, was, with her children, first poisoned and afterwards knocked on the head: Her Majesty's ships _Wasp_ and _Satellite_ were sent to endeavour to liberate any captives that might still remain on the Islands, and to punish the natives for their crimes.
"Several towns implicated have been burnt, all the war canoes destroyed, and other punishments inflicted ..." etc., etc.
Nor was this the only case of the kind, for although most of the vessels disposed of were native, the total included not a few European. There is another instance on record, in which a European woman was taken ashore and so brutally abused by the band of pirates that she died next day.
It is believed that the origination of these practices cannot be traced to the natives, but is due to the settlement of a body of Malays, who attracted a number of the inhabitants to themselves, and then formed a gang to plunder all vessels calling at the harbour, consequent upon a successful massacre of the crew.
The Old Settlement--The Cemetery--F. A. de Röepstorff--Mortality-- Birds--The Harbour--Appearance of Kamorta--Dring Harbour-- Olta-möit--Buffalo--Spirit Traffic--Cookery--Ceremonial Dress-- A Visit from Tanamara--Geology--Flora--Topography--Population-- Hamilton's Description.
On several occasions we crossed the harbour and visited the locality of the convict settlement formerly established on Kamorta, but given up in 1888, when the buildings were dismantled, and sepoys and prisoners withdrawn to Port Blair.