﻿OF ASAM. 177 



tions of wood, bamboos, and straw. The Raja and 

 his courtiers travel in stately litters ; but the opulent 

 and respectable persons amongst his subjects are car- 

 ried in lower vehicles called doolies. Asam produces 

 neither horses*, camels, nor asses ; but those cattle are 

 sometimes brought thither from other countries. The 

 brutal inhabitants, from a congenial impulse, are fond 

 of seeing and keeping asses, and buy and sell then at a 

 high price; but they discover the greatest surprize at 

 seeing a camel; and are so afraid of a horse, that if 

 one trooper should attack a hundred armed Asamians, 

 they would all throw down their arms and flee ; or 

 should they not be able to escape, they would surren- 

 der themselves prisoners. Yet, should one of that 

 detestable race encounter two men of another nation 

 on foot, he would defeat them. 



The ancient inhabitants of this country are divided 

 into two tribes, the Asamians and the Cultanians. 

 The latter excel the former in all occupations except 

 war and the conduct of hardy enterprises, in which 

 the former are superior. A body-guard of six or seven 

 thousand Asamians, fierce as demons, of unshaken 

 courage, and well provided with warlike arms and ac- 

 coutrements, always keep watch near the Raja's sitting 

 and sleeping apartments ; these are his loyal and confi- 

 dential troops and patrol. The martial weapons of 

 this country are the musquet, sword, spear, and arrow 

 and bow of bamboo. In their forts and boats they 

 have also plenty of cannon, zerbzen-f, and rarnchangee, 

 in the management of which they are very expert. 



* As the author h?s asserted that two species of horses, called 

 goont and tanyans, are produced in Dereng, we must suppose that 

 this is a different country from Asam* 



f Swivels. 



Vol. II. N 



