1841.] Account of Ar a kan. 701 



culture : all trades, occupations, and callings had separate taxes upon 

 them ; these have now been happily abandoned, and other taxes to the 

 amount of nearly a lakh of rupees reduced, without any loss accruing 

 to the state. The grants of land will raise up a new class in Arakan, 

 viz. of extensive landholders with an hereditary right to their estates, 

 whose interests will be bound to the British government. 



Among the hill tribes I have omitted mentioning two, viz. Kyan, 

 and the Toung-mru, of which only a few families exist. The former 

 live on the Kola-dan among the Ku-mis, from whom they differ in 

 some habits, but have the same general appearance. A few words 

 of their language will be found in Appendix D. A few houses of 

 the Toung-mru tribe are to be found in the upper course of the 

 Ma-yu. 



The hill tribes within the British territory, may as regards their 

 relation with the government, be divided into two classes. 



1st. Those who live near the plains, and are therefore entirely under 

 the controul of the Arakan authorities. 



2d. Those residing at a greater distance, and whose country is inac- 

 cessible for ordinary purposes. 



The first are assessed at the rate of two rupees per annum for each 

 cultivator ; the chiefs are answerable for the preservation of order in 

 their clans, and must surrender all criminals to be tried by law. 

 Slaves among these tribes have been emancipated.* 



Among the second class, no inquiries are made regarding the 

 number of cultivators, but the chief of the clan pays a fixed sum 

 yearly in token of his fealty. The tribes of this class are not inter- 

 fered with in their internal arrangements, but of course they are bound 

 to abstain from all attacks on tribes within the British frontier, and 

 indeed beyond it ; too frequently it is to be feared they join in the 

 former, or furnish information which leads to them. They still hold 

 slaves, and punish their own criminals in petty cases. It would be 



* The chiefs complain of this as a great hardship. In a Khyeng tribe, I once met 

 a young toung-meng, or chief, who had lost one of his fingers. It appeared that his 

 slaves had one fine morning absconded, and he was obliged to set to work himself for 

 his support in clearing forest land. By his clumsiness, he soon cut off a finger, and now 

 he held up his mutilated hand to me, in dumb appeal for the restitution of his slaves. 

 This young man was all but naked, and a blush was visible in his clear olive cheek, 

 when the Ra-khoing-thas with me threw a cloth over him, and he heard for the first 

 time in his life, that he was committing a breach of decency in appearing unclothed. 



