CHAPTER III.
BRITISH COLONIES AND DEPENDENCIES IN ASIA.
ADEN.—THE MONGOLIAN VARIETY.—THE MONOSYLLABIC LANGUAGES.—HONG KONG.—THE TENASSERIM PROVINCES; MAULMEIN, YE, TAVOY, TENASSERIM, THE MERGUI ARCHIPELAGO.—THE MÔN, SIAMESE, AVANS, KARIENS, AND SILONG.—ARAKHAN.—MUGS, KHYENS.—CHITTAGONG, TIPPERA, AND SYLHET.—KUKI.—KASIA.—CACHARS.—ASSAM.—NAGAS.—SINGPHO.—JILI.—KHAMTI.—MISHIMI.—ABORS AND BOR-ABORS.—DUFLA.—AKA.—MUTTUCKS AND MIRI, AND OTHER TRIBES OF THE VALLEY OF ASSAM.—THE GARO.—CLASSIFICATION.—MR. BROWN'S TABLES.—THE BODO.—DHIMAL.—KOCCH.—LEPCHAS OF SIKKIM.—RAWAT OF KUMAON.—POLYANDRIA.—THE TAMULIAN POPULATIONS.—RAJMAHALI MOUNTAINEERS.—KÚLIS, KHONDS, GOANDS, CHENCHWARS.—TUDAS, ETC.—BHILS.—WARALIS.—THE TAMUL, TELINGA, KANARA AND MALAYALAM LANGUAGES.
Aden.—The ethnology of the Arab stock would fill a volume. It is sufficient to state that the British political dependency of Aden is, ethnologically, an Arab town.
Far more important possessions direct our attention towards India. Nevertheless, there are certain preliminaries to its ethnology.[93]
Mongolia and China—each of these countries illustrates an important ethnological phenomenon.
The first is a physical one. Cheek-bones that project outwards, a broad and flat face, a depressed nose, an oblique eye, a somewhat slanting insertion of the teeth, a scanty beard, an undersized frame, and a tawny or yellow skin, characterize the Mongol of Mongolia.
The second is a philological one. A comparative absence of grammatical inflexions, and a disproportionate preponderance of monosyllabic words, characterize the language of China.
So much for the simple elementary facts; the former of which will be spoken of under the designation of Mongolian conformation; the second under that of monosyllabic language.