The Ethnology of India. 97 
in the country far towards the frontier in this direction, the people 
who are the fairest and handsomest, are not considered the most 
plucky and trustworthy ; the blood of Cashmere and Swat does not 
seem altogether to tend to these latter qualities. I cannot attempt 
to trace the minor tribes of Alpials, &c. &c. &e. Both the Awans 
of the lower lands and the Dhoonds, &c. of the higher lands seem 
to have democratic village constitutions. 
Till we know something of the language of the tribes ef the hilis 
west of Cashmere, it would not be safe to speculate on the origin of 
the people of this corner of India. if the language of the hills is 
nearly allied to the Hindee and the Punjabee, we may suppose that 
these are Indianised tribes from the same source. If on the other 
hand the hill tribes speak a tongue ef an earlier Arian form, then we 
must look to people of the blood of the Jats and Rajpoots for the 
introduction of the Hindee form of speech both here and in the rest 
of Hindustan. Looking to the want of any proper tribal name of 
the Rajpoots, it might be that before they became famous in Hindu 
story, some of them occupying the Punjab surmounted the Salt Range 
and mixing with some aboriginal Caucasians, formed the present 
tribes. Nowhere is there room for more interesting inquiry than in 
this directicn. 
Passing farther dewn in the Punjab I only remember -one class of 
the character that I am now describing, the Doghurs, a Mahommedan 
tribe found near the Sutlej, fine, good-looking, high-featured men, but 
not very reliable and rather given to cattle-lifting. I do not know 
their origin. 
Beyond the Sutlej again I have mentioned the Bhattees of Bha- 
teeana, whose origin is also obscure. But they are certainly one of 
the very finest and handsomest tribes in India. 
In the Simla hills, most of the land is held by a local tribe called 
Kanaits. They are inferior in position to Rajpoots, more perhaps of 
the level of Koormees and Lodhas, but they are often educated, and 
men of this class are generally ministers to the Rajpoot chiefs. In 
certain places there is a partial and local practice of polyandry among 
them, but it is not the general custom of the tribe. All those who 
are not (in the upper hills) in contact with Tartars are quite Arian, 
though not very large ; the women very nice-looking. 
