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rercmblc thofe of China ; but they nianufiiiSure few more tlian 

 are required fui ufc. They embroider with flowers, and weave 

 velvet and alfo taulbund, a kind of filk, of whicli they 

 make tents and kcnauts, or tlie walls that furround them. 

 Salt is precious and fcarce ; but it is found at the bottom 

 of fome of the hills, of a bitter and purging quality ; a 

 better foit, extracted from the plantain-tree, is more com- 

 mon. The mountains, ir>hiibited by a tribe called " Nanac," 

 produce plenty of excellent lignum aloes, which the natives 

 annually import into Afam, and barter for lalt aiid grain. 

 Thefe people are naked, and feed on dogs, cats, fnakcs, 

 mice, rats, ants, and iocufts. The hills of Camrup, Sidea, 

 and Luclligereh, fupply a fine fpecies of lignum aloes, 

 which links in water. Several of the mountains contain 

 mufk-deer. 



The countrj' of Uttarcxd on the northern fide of the Burt- 

 rampootcr, is in the highell (late of cultiv rtion, and produces 

 plenty of pepper and areca nuts : it even furpades Dac- 

 fhincul in population and tillage. The breadth from the 

 banks of the river to the foot of the mountains, where the 

 climate is cold, and in which there is fnow, is- various; 

 but it is no where lefs than fifteen nor greater than forty- 

 five cofs. The inhabitants of the mountains are llrong, 

 have a robull and refpeftable appearance, and are of the 

 middling fize. Their complexions, like thofe of the natives 

 of all cold climates, are red and white ; and they have alfo 

 trees and fruits peculiar to frigid regions : feveral of the hills 

 in the counti-y of Dereng, on the fide of Gowahutty, fupply 

 muflc, kataus or mountain-cows, bhoat and peree, which 

 are two kinds of blanket, and two fpecies of horfes caUed 

 goont auu tanyans. Gold and filver are procured here, 

 as alfo in the whole country of Afam, by walhing the fand 

 of the rivers. This, indeed, is one of the fources of revenue. 

 It isfuppofed that 12,000, and fome fay 20,000 inhabitants, 

 are employed in this occupation ; and each of them pays a 

 fixed revenue of a tola of gold to the rajah ; a tola contain- 

 ing eighty reti-weights and eight retis being equal in 

 weight to twenty-four barley corns or feven carats among 

 jewellers. The people of Afam (fays the writer whofe 

 account is here cited) are a b^fe and-uRprincipled nation, 

 and have no fixed rehgion. They follow no rule but that 

 of their own inclinations, and make the approbation of 

 their own vicious minds the ted of the propriety of their 

 aclions. They do not adopt any mode of worfliip pradtifed 

 either by Mahometans or Heathens; nordothey concur with 

 any of the known feels which prevail amongft mankind : 

 unUke the pagans of Hindoftan, they do not rcjcft viftuals 

 which have been drefled by mulTulmans, .and they abllain 

 from no flefh except human. They even eat animals thr.t 

 have died a natural death. It is not their cuflom to veil 

 their women. The men have often four or five wives each, 

 and publicly buy, fell, and change them. They (have 

 their heads, beards, and whifliers, and reproach and admonilh 

 every perfon who neglects this ceremony. It has been af- 

 ferted that their language has not tlie lead affinity with 

 that of Cengal ; but others fay, that young Brahmins often 

 come from Afam to Nadiya for inllruftion, aad that their 

 vulgar dialecl is underftood by the Bengal teachers. Their 

 ftrength and courage are apparent in their looks ; but their 

 ferocious manners and brutal tempers are alfo betrayed by 

 their phyfiogiiomy. They are fuperior to mofl. nations in 

 corporal force and hardy exertions. They are enterprifing, 

 favage, fond of war, vinditUve, treacherous, and deceitful. 

 The virtues of compafiion, kindnefs, friendfhip, lincerity, 

 truth, honour, good faith, and purity of morals, have been 

 left out of their compoiition. Their drefs confills of a 

 cloth tied round their heads, another round their loins, and 



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a fheet thrown upon th.ir fiiouldcrs j but it is not coftomary 

 to wear turbans, robes, drawers, or (hoes. There are no 

 buildings o^ brick or ilone, or vrith walls of earth, except 

 the gates of the city of Ghergong, and fome of their idola- 

 trous temples. The habitations of the rich and poor ars 

 conilrufted of wood, bamboos, and draw. The rajah and 

 his courtiers travel in (lately litters; but the opulent and 

 relpeftable perfons among his fubjefts are carried in lower 

 vehicles, called daolics. Afam produces neither horfes, 

 camels, nor aflcs ; but thofe animals are fometitnes brought 

 thither from other countries. The brutal inhabitants, 

 from a congenial impulfe, are fond of feeing aad keeping 

 affes, and tliey buy and fell thtm at a liigh price ; but tliey 

 are niuch furprifed at feeing a camel ; and arc fo afraid of 

 a:horfe, that if one trooper (hould attack 100 armed Afa- 

 mians, they would all throw down their arms and fly, or if 

 unable to cfcape, would furrender themfelvcs prifoncrs. 

 Yet if one of this deteilable race (honid encounter two mea. 

 of auother nation on foot, he would- defeat them. . 



Tlie ancient inhabitants ef this country, were divided 

 into two tribes, tlie AfjunaHS and the Cultanians. The 

 latter excel the former in all occupations except war and 

 the conduct of hardy entcrprizes, in which the former are 

 fuperior. A body guard of 6 or 7000 Afamians, fierce as 

 demons, of unfiiaken courage, and well provided with armsand 

 warlike accoutrements, always keep watch near the rajah's 

 fitting and lleeping apartments: thefe are his loyal con- 

 fidential troops and patrol. The martial weapons of tliLs 

 country are the mullvet, fwoid, fpear, and arrow and bow. 

 of bamboo. In their forts and boats they have plenty of 

 cannon, zerbzcn or fwivels, and ramchangee, in the manage- 

 ment of which they are ver)' expert. \V"hcnever any of 

 the rajahs, magiftrates or principal men die, they dig a large 

 cave for the deccafed, in which they inter his women, attend-- 

 ants, and fervants, and fome of the magnificent equipages 

 and ufeful furniture which he poircfled in his life time, fucii 

 as elephants, gold and filver, badcafh or large fans, carpets, 

 clothes, viftuais, lamps, with plenty of oil or a torch burn- 

 ing, for they confider thefe articles as llores fer a future 

 (late. They afterwards conftrnft a llrong roof over the 

 cave upon thick timbers. The rajahs of this country 

 have neither yielded fubmiffion and obedience, nor paid 

 tribute and revenue to the mofl powerful monarch ; but 

 they have curbed the ambition, aid checked the conquefli 

 of the mod victorious princes of Hindodan. When an in-- 

 vading army has entered their territories, the. Afamians 

 have covered themfelves in drong pods, and didrcffed the 

 enemy by flratagems, fui-prifes, and alarms, and by cutting 

 off their provifions. If thefe means have failed, they have 

 declined a battle in the field, but have carried the peafants 

 into the mountains, burnt the grain, and left the country 

 empty. But when the rainy feafon has fet in upon the ad- 

 vancing enemy, they have watched their opportunity to 

 make cxcurfions, and vent their rage ; and the famifhed in- 

 vaders have either become their prifoners, or been put to . 

 death. 



The preceeding account of the Afamians, who are pro- - 

 bably fuperior in all refpecls to the Moguls,, exhibits a 

 fpecimen of the malignity and intolerance with which it 

 was ufual, in the reign of Aurengzebe, to treat all thofe 

 whom the crafty, cruel, and avaricious emperor, was pleafed 

 to condemn as infidels and barbarians. It is extraSed. 

 from " A defcription of Afam," written by Mohammed 

 Cazim, and tranilated from the Perfian by Henr)' Vanfit- 

 tart, cfq. Afiatic Refearches, vol. ii. ;«. 171 — 485. It fliould 

 be recoUecled, in judice to the people of Afam, that the 

 author was an enemy, and. a rigid Mahometan, refident at 



tlie 



