The Ethnology of India. 35 
the common practice of these tribes; but I am told that so great is 
their instability and want of attachment to any particular spot, that 
not unfrequently, on some petty quarrel with their zemindar, a whole 
village will abandon their houses and seek other locations, or put 
themselves under the guidance of a Coolee recruiting-agent. The Hos 
and Bhoomiz* of the lower parts of Singbhoom and Maunbhoom, seem 
to be tolerably civilised. The Santals, though geographically near 
the plains, seem to be among the most shy and socially-isolated of. 
the race. They cultivate the lower lands of their country, but seem to 
have kept very much to themselves, and to prefer locations surrounded 
by jungle and segregated from the world. They too, however, have 
now taken much to labour for hire, and they must have become 
intimate with Europeans. In the case of these people is to be found 
practical illustration of a truth of wider application in India, viz. that 
in a mere pecuniary and commercial point of view, tact and scrupulous 
fairness in dealing with the natives are more effectual than all other 
means, and go farther than any laws and any administration. I believe 
that certain of the Railway Engineers, who have gained the special 
confidence of the Santals and allied tribes, construct the railway mile 
for mile infinitely cheaper than any others. 
On the borders of the hills, a set of half-breeds seem to be not only by 
profession Ghatwals, but to constitute a sort of caste under that name. 
I have alluded to the language of these Kolarian tribes. One 
would hope or expect here to find the origin of the non-Arian 
elements of the Hindee and other northern languages. This, however, 
has not yet been so. It is difficult to distinguish between words 
borrowed by the Aborigines from the modern Hindustanee or Bengalee 
and those of acommon origin. A few of the words in Hodgson’s lists are 
like Hindee, but most of them seem to be Arian words. Sdéme words 
seem to be used throughout India as ‘ Donga,’ a boat, and some are 
words of much wider use as ‘ Ka’ ‘ Kahee’ or ‘ Kova,’ a crow and ‘ Pussi,’ 
a cat. It is then no doubt the case that the very brief and imperfect 
vocabularies of the Kolarian tongues yet published, have not shown 
an immediate connection with any other known language. More 
*% Bhoomiz, I believe merely means ‘ people of the soil’ from Bhoomi, being 
nearly the same word as the Persian * Zemindar. What the Hindoo tribes are 
to the Mahomimedans, the aborigines are to the Hindoos. 
