between the Southern Part of Bengal and Ava. 29 



The independent tribe of Langaeh or Kungkis, that border 

 on the Joomeas towards the N. E., is by them called Bonz^ 

 hu, corrupted by the English into Bonjugy. Kaungla Pru 

 told me that their chief intercourse was with Rakhain. They 

 use bamboo ashes in place of salt, and manufacture a little 

 cloth and earthenware. They have muskets, swords, and 

 other arms, and their chief is called Ta-kang, which is one of 

 the titles usually bestowed at Ava on the king's sons, and 

 therefore analogous to our word prince. They are a numer- 

 ous people, and much addicted to plunder. Their hills they 

 fortify by cutting trees, and supporting them standing in such 

 a manner, as that, when the hill is attacked, they can let the 

 trees fall, and crush the invaders, — a device similar to that by 

 which the Gauls are said to have destroyed the army of L. 

 Posthumius consisting of 25,000 men, and containing two le- 

 gions of Roman citizens. ( Livy, lib. 3, cap. 24.) The Bonz- 

 hu have a number of slaves originally prisoners of war. I 

 must also observe, that Kaungla Pru considered the term 

 Bonzhu as different from Langaeh, and that the former was a 

 superior governing tribe to which the prince belonged, al- 

 though a great part of his subjects belonged to the Langaeh 

 or Langga race. So far as I can judge, reasoning from very 

 imperfect materials, these Bonzhu occupy the country on the 

 left of the Karnaphuli, extending to the sources of the Sunkar, 

 and from thence east along both sides of the river of Arakan, 

 having in the centre of their territory a great hill called in our 

 surveys the Blue Mountain, nearly in lat. 22h N., and in 

 long. 93 E. from Greenwich. Their territory may probably 

 extend 60 or 70 British miles each way. 



Having thus given an account of the people occupying this 

 part of the frontier, I shall now give an account of the rivers 

 by which it is watered. 



The Sunkar, or Sunkha, as it is pronounced by the Benga- 

 lese, is called Rekree (great water) in the Rakhain dialect. In 

 its lower part it is connected with the Karnaphuli by a chan- 

 nel named Korindea, into which the tide flows, and in the 

 S. W. monsoon, when the passage by sea is dangerous, is of 

 great importance, as boats can with safety pass through and 

 enter into a plexus of small rivers, so as then to find a safe 



4 



