eexxxvi Proceedings of the Asiatic Soc. of Bengal. [N.S., XVII, 
word Maleasur seems to mean simply a hill man, and the more 
sibide tribal designations appear to be Cara ambers, Trulars, 
ders. e 
lowest stage of savageness, with in fact scarcely any agri- 
culture, mere men of “the woods. They are represented as of 
ern diminutive stature, with thickly matted locks and supple 
limbs, living under trees or caverns, keeping sheep or gasp 
forest produce, very stupid but also very mild an offensive, 
except that they have a great reputation as sorcerers, and 
themselves believing in a religion of demons and witchcraft, are by 
their neighbours believed to be highly gifted that Wate although 
they seem to be very inferior to the simple but y and 
and more well-to-do Badagas who are both sce ae of 
the Nilgiri hills, the full-bearded, well-proportioned, aquiline- 
nosed, light-co oloured Todas who are the pastoral tribe of those 
hills, t the carrion-eating Kotas who form the artisan class, and the 
wild miserable-looking Kurumbas with their matted hair who are 
the sercerers and wizards of the Nilgiri hills, the Pulayans who 
are the agrestic serfs of Malabar and the short primitive Vadars 
or Mala ( hill ) Vedans of Travancore who file their teeth and 
kindle fire by friction and who are supposed by some to be 
identical in race with the Veddas of Ceylon 
In the opening lines of his paper, Campbell informs us that 
“ the great subject of Indian Ethnology has been taken up by 
the Asiatic Society of Bengal in a serious and earnest manner, 
with a view to that actual best StiGtl and practical inquiry 
which is only possible in the countries and on the spots where 
the various races are found, or where specimens of them may be 
collected together ” ; and that “ the Government has already 
consented to take the first step in aid of the movement by 
collecting from its officers, in all parts of India, lists of the races 
and classes existing in the various districts. ’’ In ¢ ompliance 
with a requisition from Government to all the Commissioners of 
Divisions to furnish lists of the various tribes and castes found 
within their respective rete seen some descriptive lists were 
prepared and submitt o Government. And, in 1869, the 
Government of Bengal cote Cileist Dalton, to ‘edit the ethno- 
logical information thus obtained. Dalton however, offered to 
re a descriptive account of the tribes of Bengal and Assam, 
not only from the materials thus obtained but also by collating 
all available sources of information such as official reports, jour- 
nals of learned societies. and other publications. The Asiatic 
’ 
undertoook the publication of the work thankfully accepted the 
