684 Account of Arakan. [No. 117. 



they are Budhists. The people called Mrung, by the Arakanese, 

 announce themselves as descendants of persons carried away from 

 Tipperah several generations back by the Arakan kings. They were 

 first planted on the Le-myo river, with the view I suppose of cutting off 

 their retreat to their own country ; but when Arakan became convulsed 

 in consequence of the invasion of the Burmese, they gradually com- 

 menced leaving the Le-myo, and returning through the hills towards 

 their own country. For a time they dwelt on the Kola-dan ; now 

 none are to be found in any part of Arakan, save on the Mayu in 

 its upper course, and only a few stragglers there. Many still reside, 

 I understand, in the hills on the E. frontier of the Chittagong district. 

 By a reference to a few words of their language, given in the appendix, 

 those acquainted with the language of the Tipperah tribes will be 

 able to decide whether the tale the Mrungs tell of their descent be 

 true or not. 



Having given an outline of the various tribes which now inhabit 

 Arakan Proper, I proceed to offer some suggestions as to the original 

 inhabitants. The traditions of the Ra-khoing-thds refer expressly to 

 the hill tribes as being in possession of the country when their own 

 ancestors entered it. The Khyengs have a tradition that they are direct 

 descendants of some Burmese refugees, or the remnants of an army 

 that was lost in the mountains when attempting to penetrate to 

 the westward. From the Ku-mis, I could gather nothing as to their own 

 origin, but I consider both tribes akin to the Myam-md race, and 

 distinct from the Malay.* If it be true, as is asserted, that the immi- 

 gration of the Malay race to Malacca, Quedah, and other districts 

 from Sumatra is an occurrence comparatively of late date, then it 

 is very improbable that they should have come so far north as 21° of 

 latitude in a remote era. The Khyengs and Ku-mis are probably an off- 

 shoot of the Myam-md race, who left their original seat earlier than the 

 immediate ancestors of the Ra-khoing-thds. The most southern Ku-mi 

 tribes who inhabit the Kola-dan, represent themselves as being driven 

 further south each succeeding year, in consequence of the encroach- 

 ments of the fiercer tribes beyond them. These encroachments still 

 proceed. 



* To whom the hill tribes in this quarter have been assigned by Pemberton. 



