1879.] S. E. Peal — A peculiarity of the river names in Asam. 259 



is again met with, as the vernacular for water, among the tributaries of the 

 upper Satlej and Indus, and used by hill tribes who do not seem to have 

 had any communication, in the historic period, with the non-Aryans of 

 Eastern Bengal. Jumna = Jamuna or Di-a-muna of Ptolemy.* 



In regard to the peculiarity under notice, it is evident that the Hima- 

 laya has acted as a conspicuous speech-parting. Starting from China, 

 where we have Tse, Sui, and Chu, we get, via Tibet, Chu and Su alone, with 

 their local variations, whereas to the south of the range, via Burma, Asam. 

 and India, we get the variations of Di, Ti, Thi, Dzu, Dui, Dah, which are as 

 absent north of the Himalaya, as the Chu and Su are south of it, although 

 to the east the two groups are connected by many intermediate forms. 



The peculiarity in question gains importance from a knowledge of the 

 fact that river names often survive the races who gave them. As Dr. 

 Buchanan Hamilton has truly said, " the names of rivers and mountains 

 " are those which are usually most carefully preserved among the changes 

 " that take place in the languages of mankind." 



It is not intended that these few remarks should be taken as an 

 attempt to group non-Aryan races through a single word, but rather to 

 invite a comparison between this peculiarity, as attached to river names, and 

 the languages spoken in situ at the present day. In many cases the race 

 giving the name has evidently departed, leaving, as in Asam and parts of 

 Bengal, little else but these river names as evidence of former occupancy. 

 This is specially noteworthy in a country quite destitute of architectural 

 remains, like Asam and the hill country surrounding it. A careful study 

 of such words as are likely to survive the races that originate them may 

 lead to many unexpected proofs of that which is, so far, only surmised. It 

 would also include the changes which such words or names systematically 

 undergo at the hands of Aryan races, as where Su is rendered " Hu," or 

 even " Eu," as in Eu-phrates.f The Indus is obviously the Ind-su, and we 

 have it on many old maps as Ind-huh (Ji being s at each extremity of 

 India) ; it is also rendered as Ind-suh. Non-Aryan names even seem to 

 occur in Persia ; Ak-su, literally white water, is found common all over 

 Central Asia and as far west as European Turkey. Tested by the above, 

 it looks more than probable that this is the source whence we derive " Oxus," 

 one of the tributaries of that river, near its source, being Ak-su. I am, 

 however, informed by a good authority that it comes from Waksh, also one 

 of its sources. Possibly there may be less difference actually between the 

 " ak-su" and "waksh," than at first sight appears. 



* [Di appears to be merely the Greek way of spelling the Prakrit / (jamuna) = 

 Sanskrit y fyamundj ; see A. Cunningham's Ancient Geography of India, p. 46. Ed.] 



t [The Assyrian hu (Greek eu) = Scythian Jcu " water" ; see A. Cunningham, 

 Ancient Geography, p. 37. Ed.] 



