are pregnant with silver and precious -stones ; its atmosphere
is perfumed with the wMft and luxuriantly-growing
tea plant; and its soil is so well adapted to all purposes
of agriculture, that it might be converted into onecon tinned
garden of silk, and cotton, and sugar, and coffee, and-tea,
over an extent of many thousand miles.”*
This tract of country is thinly inhabited by various-moun-
tain-tribes. The following is a brief notice of them and of
their abodes i j
1. The Miris are an industrious active race, of wild and
barbarous manners, speaking a different language from that
of the Assamese. .They live on the northern bank of the
Brahmaputra from the island Majali to the river Dihongtóu
2. The Abors and Mishmis inhabit an extensive hilly
country along the southern exposure^ofethetigreafc Hima-
lava from 94° to 97° east longitude, and the precipitous
borders of the two great northern branches? or confluents^
of the Brahmaputra, thé Bihong or Sam po^and* the
Dibong. Accustomed to a freezing temperature they
descend to the low country only during the ^wihter and
depart as soon as the Simala-tree puts forth its blossoms*.
The Mishmis are a small, active, hardy race, with the
Tartar cast of countenance; they-are excessively dirty;
Like other hill people they are famous for7ïhé* musdular
developement of their legs: in tldsdte'women are inferior#
They have no written language, and scanty clothing: they
drink a liquor distilled from rice.f
3. Kangtis live between the Dibong and Lohit. They
are descended from the Bor-Kangtis, a powerful race near
the sources of the Ira wadi, and came down into their
present country about fifty years' ago. They are a race
superior to their neighbours. They are, like many other
mountaineers, tall, fair, and handsome, and considerably
♦.Account of the Mountain Tribes on the extreme north-eastern frontier of
Bengal, by J. M Cosh, Civil Assistant Surgeon, Goatpura.—> Journal of the
Asiatic Society of Bengal, No. 62. ;
t We have a further account of the Mishmi race from Dr. W. Griffith, who
travelled in their country, in the sixty-fifth number of the Asiatic Journal’of
Bengal.
advanced in civilisation, and have the religion of Buddhism.
They have a written character, Their language resembles
the original Ahom.
•vThe ..-Bor-Kangtis and Munglany Kangtis are tribes of
this race. ,y
4. The Singphos'are the-most powerful of these hill-tribes.
They are bounded on the west by a line drawn, from Saddia
to the. Patkoi range, and reach eastward to the Lohit river
which separates them from the Bor-Kangtis. The Burmah
Singphos extend on* both sides of the Ira wadi and reach to
the borders- of‘„Chinn/.- They are a barbarous people and
continually carryioff as captives the Assamese. They speak
a language different from that of the Shan or Siamese tribes,
JgU are idolators. Bude>as, is the state of-society among
them, they have a distinction of castes and are divided into
four' classes termed ThengaiSj Miyungs,- Labrungs, and
Mirups. The tea plant grows wild in their country, through
which js the track of intercourse between China and Assam.
M Muamhrias^r Miittahs, a tribe of wild barbarians who
professitMe Hindu,reiigion#between the Brahmaphtra north,-
ward and the Buri Dihing on4he eouth.
6. Nagas, numerous tribes spread over all the mountainous^
range which divides Assam from Manipur.
; Of the different tribes; of Nagas we have more complete
accounts in- several memoirs already published.* It seems
that the Nagas. are tribes ©j|dh©%aame? race with the Kukls
sometimes called" Lunctas, the wild mountaineers of Tip-
perah or Tripura. The* earliest notice of these- people, who
were termed Chets, was contained in a paper translated from
the Persian by Sir W. Jones, and: inserted in the second
volume of the Asiatic Researches. Further details were
given by Mr. Macrae In. the seventh volume of the same
series. - They are described by; Mr. Macrae as a race of
people'living arpong the mountains to ;tbe north-east of the
Chittagory province, The inhabitants of the first range are
the ChoomeeaSj a , pepple long tributary to the East India,
Company, who^v,villages are callidi Chooms. The, Kukis
♦ See Ritter’s Ifidieu, 875.—-Asiatic Researches, vol. 7, on the Kookees»—
Asiatic Researches, vol. 2, on the Mountaineers of Tipra.
VOL. IV. 2 D