202 Dr. Hamilton's Account of the Frontier 



prevailed both in Chatigang and Ava, was, that the refugees 

 were given up from fear ; and this opinion has no doubt con- 

 tinued to operate on the ill-informed court of Ava, and has 

 occasioned a frequent repetition of violence and insolence, 

 ending in an open war. The consequence of this will no 

 doubt be fatal to the King of Ava ; but may produce sub- 

 sequent difficulties to the Government of Bengal. These 

 evils might probably have been avoided by a vigorous re- 

 pulse of the invasion in 1794, and a positive refusal to 

 hearken to any proposal for giving up the insurgents, after 

 the court of Ava had adopted hostile measures in place of 

 negociation, to which alone it was entitled. 



The Joomea Muggs in their own country no doubt used 

 the plough, and cultivated the level fields, both of which prac- 

 tices, on settling in Chatigang, they have entirely relinquish- 

 ed ; but this seems to have been in order to conciliate the 

 Bengalese, among whom they settled. The hills, of which 

 they took possession, were entirely neglected by the Benga- 

 lese, as not admitting of being ploughed after the Indian 

 fashion, so that they gave no umbrage in taking possession of 

 this land ; besides, these colonists were probably unable to 

 purchase the stock necessary for ploughing ; while that re- 

 quired for the joom cultivation is next to nothing. But far- 

 ther, these colonists, from their hideous impurity, would not 

 have been admitted among the Bengalese ; for although most 

 of these in the district of Chatigang are Muhammedans, they 

 have adopted in full vigour the doctrine of cast and Hindu 

 purity. The natives of Rakhain, on the contrary, eat, drink, 

 and sleep, with no more regard to purity than Christians, 

 and eat almost every thing, except milk and its preparations, 

 which they abominate. 



The written character of the Joomea Muggs is entirely the 

 same with that of Ava, and almost all the names of persons 

 and places mentioned in this account were given to me in 

 writing. I have expressed this in English characters, not ac- 

 cording to the form of the Alphabetum Burmanum, but in a 

 manner more suited to express the provincial dialect of 

 Arakan. 



The Joomea Muggs are considerably more civilized than j 



