CONTENTS.
Appointed second in command of the Assam Light Infantry—Journey to Assam, Goalparah, and Gowahatty—Trip to Seebsaugur in a canoe—Boats and dangers—Seebsaugur and Saikwah described—The tribes—An Assam cottage—Unwelcome intruder—Climate of Assam page 1
Travels and residence in North-Western Assam—Description of Burpetah in the rains—Vampire, or fox bats—Leaf insect—Seclusion of villages in the jungles—Country abounds with wild animals—Number of deaths, and damage done to crops—Native mode of killing a tiger—Conflagrations of jungles—Danger therefrom to travellers—Cultivation of high and low lands—Number of crops—Primitive mode of husbandry—Irrigation by cacharies—Country inundated—Population and condition of the people—Law on slavery 16
Forests and grass jungle—Tigers, elephants, buffaloes, rhinosceroses, pigs and deer—Field sports by Europeans—Native practice of destroying animals with poisoned arrows—Effects of poison—Wild elephants caught with a noose in Assam—Secured in a Kheddah or enclosure at Chittagong—Net revenue of Assam—Disbursements—Industry—Opium—Slavery—Conclusion 27
[The Khamtees]: their subjection of Suddeah and Saikwah—Their defeat and expulsion—Re-establishment of their authority at Suddeah and Saikwah—Intrigues and disaffection to the British Government in 1820—Captain Charlton placed in charge of the Khamtee chiefs at Suddeah and Saikwah, 1834–35—Attempts of the Khamtees in 1837–38 to subvert British authority—Their insurrection in 1839, and attack on the post at Suddeah and repulse—Death of Lieutenant White—Expulsion of the Khamtees from Assam—Their submission and pardon—Character and habits of the Khamtees 39
[The Singphoos]: their country, population, chiefs and clans—Their dislike of British powers—Their subjection in 1826—Terms of treaty—Feud between two rival chieftains—Submission and subsequent flight of the Duffa Gaum—Disaffection of Tengapanee Singphoos—Tour of the political agent—Fresh disturbances—Character of the country and people—Their religion, customs, and condition—Capabilities for commerce—Government experiment in the woollen trade—Boundary of Assamese and Burmese territories 59
[Muttucks]: their origin and religion—Severely persecuted by Seba Sing—Revolt under Luckme Sing—Get possession of the capital, and make Luckme Sing and all his court prisoners—Ramakant Bor Deka ascends the throne—Re-action in favour of Luckme Sing, who is restored—Barbarous punishment inflicted on Ramakant Bor Deka, his brother, and father—General massacre of the Muttuck chiefs and their followers—Rebellion of the Moa Mareyas—Expulsion of Rajah Goureenath, who solicits the assistance of the British Government—Captain Welsh sent with one or two battalions—Replaces Goureenath on the throne—Rajah Kumalepur invades Muttuck, but unable to obtain permanent possession—British Government annexes the whole of Muttuck to the district of Luckimpoor—Husbandry the chief occupation of the Muttucks—Tea plant indigenous—Exertions of Major Jenkins in promoting its cultivation 91
[The Bor Abors, Abors, and Merees]: their localities and origin—Ornaments of the women—Martial spirit of the Abors—Destitute of beards—Ignorant of reading or writing—Void of delicacy and cleanliness in their habits—Little known of the Abor country—Failure of Lieutenant Wilcox to ascend the Dehong river 110
[The Mishmees]: divided into distinct clans—Their characteristics—Attire and ornaments of the women—Mishmees unrestricted in the number of wives—Inordinately fond of smoking—Very superstitious—Mode of settling disputes—Cane bridges—Feud between the Tain and Mezhoo Mishmees—Trade between the Lamas and Mishmees—Articles of barter and of produce—Names and number of followers of the chiefs 115
[The Dooaneahs]: their origin—Nature of the country—Expert pioneers, but not of martial spirit—Strongly addicted to the use of opium 126
[The Assamese]: conquered and subjected to vassalage by the Ahooms—Mode of government—System of collecting the revenue—Conquered by the British in 1825—New system of taxation introduced—Abundance of gold—Gold washing—Natural products—Diet, clothing, &c.—Dwellings—Marriage—Betrothment—Marriage feast and presents—Breach of promise—Servitude for wives—Divorce—Slavery—Distribution of salt—Slavery—Ahoom dynasty—List of the last kings of Assam—Cruel punishments 127
[The Nagas]: their general features and characteristics—Missionary efforts by the American Baptists—Naga Government—Treatment of strangers—Omens—Husbandry—Salt wells—Mode of warfare—Ceremony of tattooing—Mode of revenge—Naga customs—Funeral ceremonies—List of the Naga tribe 149
[The Garrows]: the tallest and most powerful of all the hill tribes—Savage custom on the death of their relatives—Description of the Garrow women—Culture of cotton—climate 179
[The Cosseahs]: an athletic race, but indolent—Murder of Lieuts. Beddingfield and Burlton—Chief product, potatoes 182
[The Booteahs]: extent of the Bootan hills—Population—Captain Pemberton’s description of the Booteahs—Exactions and mal-practices of the Bootan rulers—Weapons 185
[The Sath Booteah Rajahs of Kooreahparah Dooar in Durrung]: the mountains where located—Kalling and Booree Goorma Dooars—Tyranny of the Booteahs towards the Dooars—Kalling Dooar annexed to Assam—Kooreahparah Dooar—Exactions of the Sath Rajahs—Advantages of British Government 191
[The Char Dooar, or Sheergawn and Rooprae Booteah Sath Rajahs]: names of the principal chiefs—Yearly amount of black mail levied by them—Murder of Moodhoo Sykeah 199
[The Thebingeah Booteahs]: quarrel between them and the Rooprae Booteahs of Char Dooar—At the present day not numerous, but peaceable and inoffensive—Sum allowed them by the British Government in lieu of black mail 202
[The Huzaree Khawa Akhas]: reside in the mountains north of Burgong—Formerly very powerful, but now acknowledge the supremacy of Taggee, a Kuppah Choor Akha Chief 204
[The Kuppah Choor Akhas]: always looked upon by their neighbours as a ferocious band of banditti—Depredations by Rajah Taggee—His incarceration by the British, and subsequent liberation—Resorts to his former lawless practices—Massacre of the Goorkha Sipahees—Taggee, in 1842, voluntarily surrenders to the British, who again liberate him on his swearing allegiance—He is pensioned with four other chiefs 206
[The Dufflahs]: divided into innumerable clans—Very uncivilized, and formerly very troublesome—In 1836–37, consent to forego their depredations on receiving a fixed sum from the British Government—List of Dufflah chiefs, and the amount of pension paid to them 212
General MAP OF ASSAM.
SCALE 16 MILES TO 1 INCH.
Smith, Elder & Co., Litho: 65, Cornhill, London.
A
SKETCH OF ASSAM.
CHAPTER I.
Appointed second in command of the Assam Light Infantry.—Journey to Assam, Goalparah, and Gowahatty.—Trip to Seebsaugur in a Canoe.—Boats and Dangers.—Seebsaugur and Saikwah described.—The Tribes.—An Assam Cottage.—Unwelcome Intruder.—Climate of Assam.
In November, 1840, being then on duty at Mynpooree in Upper India, with my regiment, in which I filled the office of Interpreter and Quarter-Master, I had the honour of receiving from the Governor-General of India the appointment of second in command to the Assam Light Infantry. Regimental duty amongst our earliest military companions has its charms, but there is not an officer in the East India Company’s service, be his attachment to his comrades and the sepoys under him ever so strong, who does not hail with joy the day that gives him comparative freedom, especially when that freedom is accompanied by the proud emotions ever attendant upon the possession of higher command. Accordingly I was much elated at the distinction that had been conferred on me; nor were my pleasurable sensations diminished by the circumstance of the future scenes of my service lying in a country that I had already once visited, and regarding which I felt an uncommon degree of interest. Bidding my friends farewell, therefore, I quitted Mynpooree, marched to Futtyghur, and thence embarking in a native boat upon the Ganges, proceeded to Dacca by the ordinary route, reaching the station in the latter end of December 1840. At Dacca, engaging new and more commodious boats, I again set out on my journey to Assam, and entered the Burrampooter river near the military station of Jumalpore, and arrived at Goalparah, the entrance to Assam, in nineteen days.
The military station of Goalparah is situated on the left bank of the Burrampooter, on the summit of an oblong hill three hundred feet high, commanding one of the most magnificent views of the Bootan and Himalaya Mountains, partially covered with snow, that can well be imagined. There are (or were at the time of which I write) three bungalows (ground floor cottages) on the small space of table land on the hill, occupied by the officers attached to the district. From its elevation, many are disposed to claim for the hill the enviable title of “the Sanitarium of Assam,” but however just its pretension to salubrity may be, the same degree of credit cannot be extended beyond this isolated spot. Many parts of the division are so inimical to life, that the mortality both of Europeans and natives, equals, if it does not exceed, that in any district in Assam. The noxious exhalations from the Garrow hills and woods seem more deadly than the climate of the Northern Dooars, of which few persons resident there can long resist the depressing effects. Unless endowed with great stamina, life is here frequently extinguished by jungle fever in the course of a few days.
The town of Goalparah, consisting of about seven thousand inhabitants, is built wholly of mats, grass, bamboos, and reeds, at the foot of the hills, and as the adjoining country is a low, swampy level, interspersed with slight elevations, it is subject to annual inundations. The chief traders are Kyahs, merchants from the western parts of India; and at no place in Assam is there a more extensive and lucrative trade carried on in cloths of English and Indian manufacture; rice, mustard-seed, cotton from the Garrow hills, manjeet, and other articles.
A three months’ residence at the station of Goalparah in 1837, rendered a prolonged stay unnecessary on the present visit. An absence of three years had produced few changes in the condition of the people or the appearance of the buildings, excepting in the house I formerly occupied, which had been suffered to become a heap of ruins. One vestige of the débris, however, gratified my self-love. A little glass window-frame, made with my own hands, still survived the destruction of time and the elements, and vividly recalled to memory the difficulty I had overcome in endeavouring to admit light into my little dwelling. Such a luxury as window glass being unknown at the remote station, I had purchased some of the small looking-glasses which always abound in the Indian bazaars, and, removing the quicksilver, converted them into window panes.
Leaving Goalparah, six days were occupied in reaching Gowahatty by water. In Gowahatty, the metropolis of Assam, I perceived a vast change; many buildings of brick had been erected and the foundation of a church laid; numerous native shops evinced increasing prosperity, and much had been accomplished towards rendering the station more salubrious by the removal of jungle and the construction of many beautiful roads. The best and largest bungalows at Gowahatty are all on the banks of the Burrampooter, and the view of the river, the islands, temples, and verdant foliage of the trees forms perhaps one of the most picturesque scenes to be met with in India.
GOWAHATTY.
London, Smith Elder & Co. 65, Cornhill
The native town of Gowahatty is built entirely of bamboos, reeds, and grass. To the south an extensive marsh almost surrounds the whole station, and the contiguity of many old tanks, choked with jungle, coupled with the vicinity of the hills on every quarter except the north, renders this town, in spite of the improvements already alluded to, one of the most insalubrious in Assam. In the cold season, from the 1st of November to the 1st of February, the fogs at Gowahatty are extremely dense and heavy, and last frequently until ten or eleven o’clock in the day; but it is generally admitted that this state of the atmosphere is by no means unfavourable to health. The rainy months of June, July, August, and September, are here always trying to Europeans, as the moist heat has a much more depressing influence than the rains of the Western Provinces of India.
Nearly two months having been passed in boats on the river, from Futtyghur to Gowahatty, I became anxious to reach the end of my journey by a more expeditious mode than that of tracking up against the stream a few miles every day. I accordingly quitted my budgerow and embarked in a canoe formed of a single tree hollowed out. It was forty-eight feet long, and three feet wide, ten feet of the length being covered in with a small mat roof, as an apology for a cabin. In this I felt by no means uncomfortable, though I had only a little more room than served to enable me to lie down at full length.
OMANUND ISLAND OPPOSITE GOWAHATTY
London, Smith Elder & Co. 65, Cornhill
The solitariness of my position, only enlivened by the song of eighteen merry paddlers, pulling from morning till night, at the rate of forty or fifty miles a day, against a rapid stream, was perhaps the worst part of the story. The scenery, if not positively devoid of picturesque beauty, wearied me from its monotonous character. Sand-banks, woods, and hills, unvaried by the residence of man, or the slightest token of civilization, constituted its leading features. Occasionally a boat might be encountered, but, excepting from the rude salutation of the wild crew, the screaming of wild fowl, and the loud crash of falling banks, prostrating lofty trees in the bosom of the river, not a sound was heard to relieve the pervading solitude. But, altogether, the velocity of the trip, with the désagrément of limited accommodation, was a good exchange for the comforts of a budgerow, and the tediousness of its pace.
Passing the healthy and pretty stations of Tezpore and Bishnath, I arrived at the mouth of the little stream Dikhoo, in nine days, and, mounting an elephant, rode through a dense tree and grass jungle to Seebsaugur, distant twelve miles from the Burrampooter. It was a bitterly raw, cold, wet day; but a blazing fire on the floor in the snug reed and grass cottage of an acquaintance, soon erased from my memory the inconvenience of the previous ten days’ exposure.
In the rains, the Burrampooter river resembles a sea, extending for many miles over the country. In the dry season it will be found in many places more than a mile wide. The current in Upper Assam, above Dibroo Ghur, is much more rapid than the Ganges river, and far more dangerous; from the river being strewed with immense trees, which are whirled down the stream with awful impetuosity, threatening instant destruction to the boat so unfortunate as to come in contact with them. For this reason, the canoes of the country being more manageable, and even if filled with water, too buoyant to sink, much less risk is incurred by travelling in them than in the comfortable budgerow, or large native boat of Western India, roofed with straw. The canoe has also another advantage, in case of a storm, as it can in a few minutes be dragged on shore and remain in perfect safety till the toofan has passed over. The confinement, however, and constant reclining posture are almost unbearable in the hot weather; and there is a painful sense of insecurity from the streams and rivers in many parts of Assam swarming with crocodiles. Natives, when bathing, are not unfrequently seized by crocodiles, and I have heard that one of these amphibious monsters has been known to seize a paddler unsuspiciously sleeping in the front part of the boat: which is not improbable, as the sides of a canoe are only six inches or a foot above the water. Such occurrences, however, are too rare to justify the fears that are entertained; but their rarity, considering the great numbers of crocodiles on the banks, is nevertheless a marvel. In the Chawlkhawa river, opposite Burpetah, I have seen basking in the sun on the sand banks, as many as ten crocodiles at a time; and upon one occasion, a heap of one hundred crocodile’s eggs, each about the size of a turkey’s egg, were discovered on a sand bank, and brought to me; I found on blowing them, that they all contained a perfectly formed crocodile, about two inches long, which would have crept forth after a few days’ farther exposure to the sun.
The flesh of the crocodile is like that of fish, emitting the same odour, and partaking of the flavour of the coarsest of the finny tribe. After skinning a small crocodile caught by a fisherman in his net, one of my native servants made a curry of the flesh, which is consumed by some low caste men in Assam, as well as in Western India. The eggs of crocodiles and river turtle are esteemed delicacies. Upon the merits of the flesh of the turtle I need not expatiate. I have frequently endeavoured to shoot the crocodile, but if they be not almost invulnerable, they contrive to elude capture; for when wounded they manage to get into the river, and either escape to recover, or die out of sight. It never was my fortune to kill and secure more than one, which was upwards of twelve feet in length. He was mortally stricken with one ball.
The station of Seebsaugur merits little notice. It is a low, flat country, subject to inundations. There are several large artificial tanks, and one or two fine old Hindoo temples, in and about the station. The fort of Rungpore, built of brick on the opposite side of the Dikhoo stream, is quite in ruins; and of the old city of Rungpore, not a hut is now in existence: all the inhabitants being now apparently located at Seebsaugur, which, from having become the residence of the civil officers in charge of the district, will in a few years, in all probability, be a populous, thriving town. After a few days’ residence at Seebsaugur, I again set out in a small boat on the Burrampooter; passing the new station of Dibroo Ghur, the residence of the Political Agent of Upper Assam, and other gentlemen connected with the manufacture of tea, I ascended the dangerous rapid formed by a ridge of stones extending almost across the river, a little below the junction of the two rivers, Dihong and Dibong, with the Burrampooter, and in seven days from Seebsaugur, arrived at the end of my journey, Saikwah. Here I assumed the command of three hundred men, and two six-pounders.
The site of Saikwah, the north-eastern frontier military post in Upper Assam, is on the south bank of the Burrampooter; on low ground, intersected by numerous streams and surrounded with dense high tree-jungle, having the Bisnacorie and the Saikwah streams on the west and east, and the Burrampooter on the north. For the comfort of the troops, a space of about one thousand square yards has been cleared of jungle. In the vicinity of, or a few miles distant from Saikwah, there are some small villages inhabited by tribes denominated Dooaneahs, Moolooks, Kesungs, Jillys, Mishmees, and Meerees who, from their wild habits, prefer the jungles to the plains. They grow a scanty supply of rice, kullie (a species of vetch) and Indian corn; the whole of which is generally consumed in a few months, leaving them to depend for the remainder of the year on leaves of the forest kutchoos (a kind of arrow-root) and wild yams. Saikwah was selected as a military post in 1839, immediately after the station of Suddeah on the opposite or north bank had been surprised and burnt by the neighbouring tribes. It is eighty miles distant from the Patkoe mountains, separating Assam from Burmah; but it is by no means so desirable a station for the health of the troops as the deserted post of Suddeah, in an open plain of six miles in extent. The object, however, of the change of locality, was to enable the Light Infantry to afford protection to the tea-gardens in Muttuck from the sudden aggressions of the numerous wild, fierce, border tribes. In this respect it has answered; hitherto, few depredations having been committed, though insurrections have been frequent.
The trade of Saikwah consists of ivory, wax, and a little cotton; the amount of ivory sold in the bazaar, the shopkeepers informed me, averaged annually about six hundred pounds. A more desolate place than Saikwah can scarcely be imagined. It is surrounded by fierce and treacherous tribes, who occupy a most impenetrable tree and grass jungle, and whose endeavours are perpetually directed to the annihilation of the troops. At first, the hourly patrol’s grand rounds and alarms allowed me little rest or ease, but the alertness of the troops in getting under arms at night to repel any meditated attack, soon obliterated from my mind all apprehension of surprise. The Assam Light Infantry wish for nothing better than an opportunity of contending with the Singphoos, or indeed with any of their treacherous neighbours (whom they hold in the utmost contempt) in a fair battle in the open country; but in the jungles they find it almost impossible to come in contact with their foes.
A few days after my arrival at Saikwah sufficed to plaster my mat-and-grass cottage with mud, and with the assistance of the Sipahees, a chimney for a fire-place was soon constructed, with bricks and mortar obtained from old buildings at Suddeah; then putting in a glass window, I was enabled, in comfort and solitariness, to pursue my usual vocations in all weathers. In this secluded retreat, every incident, however trifling in itself, acquired an importance which induced me to note it in my tablets. On one occasion, about eight o’clock at night, sitting by a snug fireside, my attention was arrested by the approach of an unwelcome visitor making his way in at the door. Taking up a candle to ascertain who or what was forcing ingress to my dwelling, I beheld a python, or boa-constrictor, about six feet long, steadily advancing towards me. In my defenceless position it may be imagined that safety depended on immediate flight; and the monster thus speedily gained entire possession of my habitation. It was, however, for a few minutes only, that he was permitted to remain the undisturbed occupant of the abode; for my servants quickly despatched the intruder with a few blows inflicted with long poles. An apothecary, who had long been attached to the Assam Light Infantry, assured me that pythons, or boa-constrictors, were very numerous in our vicinity, and of an immense size, some not being less than fifteen or eighteen feet in length. I had evidence of the truth of the statement; a skin, fifteen feet long, being subsequently brought me by the natives. I caused it to be tanned and sent to England. Small serpents were often met with. On one occasion the apothecary brought me two boa-constrictors of about four feet long, which he had found on a table curled up amongst some bottles in the same room where his children were sleeping. In all probability the lives of the infants were saved by the musquitto curtains preventing access to the bed. Boa-constrictors are exceedingly fond of rats, and on this occasion they had evidently been in search of their prey.
1. MANGOE FLY.
2. QUEEN (OR ARRINDY) SILKWORM OF ASSAM.
3. LONG HORNED BEETLE.
London, Smith Elder & Co. 65, Cornhill
As my cottage had not the usual white cloth ceiling suspended, insects, snakes, and vermin frequently descended from the roof into the rooms; but by keeping the house free of baggage and well swept, contact with them was avoided. The reader will suppose an Assam mat-hut to be a dreary kind of residence; but I can assure him, the logwood fire on a hearth one foot high, in the centre of the room, with a small window cut high in the wall for the escape of the smoke, is by no means devoid of cheerfulness.
The general characteristic of the climate of Upper Assam is excessive moisture. Rains fall heavily and frequently in March, April, and May, and continue to the middle of October; and from this time till February the atmosphere is cool and pleasant. As the bordering hills of Assam, both on the north and south, are peopled by a variety of tribes differing from one another in aspect, language, and customs, I have, in later pages, briefly depicted each class; mingling personal description with a narrative of as much of their respective histories as circumstances have put it in my power to offer.
TABLE.
Showing the number of days required for a Budgerow to proceed from Calcutta to Suddeah, or Saikwah in Upper Assam, from October till 1st June:—
| No. ofdays. | |||
| From Calcutta to Dacca | 12 | ||
| 19 | ||
| 6 | ||
| 6 | ||
| 3 | ||
| 6 | ||
| 7 | ||
| 6 | ||
| Total days | 65 |
Excepting with a westerly wind during the rains, the navigation of the Burrampooter river is tedious, uncertain, and dangerous, from falling banks, floating trees, a rapid current, and no tracking ground: the jungle extending to the edge of the river. In Assam a canoe is the safest and most speedy mode of travelling.