1837.] the Mishrnee hills in Assam. 339 



The valley occupied by the Khakoo Singphos, which I had thus 

 crossed, is bounded to the N. E. by the Mishrnee mountains, and to the 

 S. W. by the Mimboom range ; it is of a triangular form, and not of 

 any great extent : it is drained by the Tcnga Pdnee. The whole valley 

 is comparatively high, and may be considered as a low table land : it is 

 incomparably the finest part of our territory inhabited by Singphos, 

 that I have yet seen : between Itusa and Luttora, I passed, although it 

 was a short march, five large villages ; and whatever the case may be 

 with the other portions of our Singpho territory, this valley is very 

 populous and highly flourishing. Luttora is a village of no great size : 

 formerly Luttora Gam was the chief of the whole valley, but his 

 followers, since the affair of the Dupha Gam, have divided them- 

 selves between Itusa and Ittanshantan Gams who are friendly to our 

 Government. 



From Itusa Gam I met great attention ; from Luttora Gam, until 

 lately an avowed enemy to our Government, I received a visit, being 

 the first he ever paid to any officer. He made the usual professions of 

 submission ; but on my telling him that he should *end in his submis- 

 sion to the officers at Sadiyd, he replied verv quietly, that he must 

 first communicate with the Dupha Gam. (Latterly I understand that 

 he has sent his submission in to the Political Agent.) He was attended 

 with a considerable number of men armed with lances and dhaos. He 

 is a large, ruffianly-looking man, nearly blind, and for a Singpho very 

 dirty. He was attended with an adherent of the Dupha Gum, who had 

 just returned from Hookum. This man descanted on the general satis- 

 faction given to the chiefs about Hookum by the presents of Captain 

 Hannay, and he said that all the chiefs had agreed to bury the re- 

 membrance of all former feuds in oblivion. 



The chief cultivation of the valley is that of ahoo dhan, the fields of 

 which are numerous and extensive. 



The manners of the Khakhoos are the same as these of the other 

 Singphos; they are represented, however, as excelling these in treachery 

 and cruelty. I met with no opposition on the journey, although I was 

 attended by only sixteen Donaniers ; and although, as I have since as- 

 certained, my adoption of this route caused great offence to the chiefs* 

 one of whom sent a letter of remonstrance to the officers at Sadiyd. 

 They have a great number of Assamese slaves, and there is but little 

 doubt that the practice of slave-selling still exists among them. In fact 

 a Donanier from Chykwas was actually obliged to place himself under 

 my protection. None of the villages are stockaded. Luttora is on a 

 strong site, being built on a steep eminence nearly surrounded by two 



