G A N G E T I C H I N D O O S T A N. 341 



defence of the waters. The lands affigned for its fupport are 

 called Korivarra Mahal, in which are included the boats which 

 ufed to be fent annually to the Nabob at MoorJJjedabad. The 

 fighting boats were called Feka Gunge Bebcr. In the time of 

 Jehangir they inhabited the iflands of Bengal, or the Sunder- 

 bund, and were mere brutes in human form. They eat all 

 kinds of animals ; married their fillers which were by another 

 mother ; their features bore a great refemblance to the Cahnuc 

 Tartars ; but their language had no mixture of the Turki/Jj, being 

 very hke to that ufed in Thibet. They profefs no religion, nor 

 have any faith in their dealings*. I have little doubt, but that 

 they were originally emigrants from the mountainous parts of 

 Jlfam, w^ho are defcribed in the Jfiatic Re/ear ches, ii. p. 174, 

 as an evil-difpofed race of mountaneers, many degrees re- 

 moved from the line of humanity, and are deftitute of the 

 charadleriftical properties of a man. They go naked from head 

 to foot, and eat dogs, cats, fnakes, mice, rats, ants, locufts, 

 and every thing of that fort which they can find. 



The Bengal gazettes give the Muggs the fynonyms oi Bur^ 

 mahs, and fpeak of a confiderable body of thofe people who 

 had lately penetrated into Bengal by land, on the fide of Chitti- 

 gongi againft whom we found it neceflTury to fend a military 

 force. A gazette fays, they retired to their mountains; poflibly 

 thefe are \vandering natives oi Burmah, a kingdom in Pegu, who 

 may have for the fake of rapine quitted their own country, as 



* Life of Jehangir, p. 27. 



the 



