4 On the Literature and Origin of [No. 121. 



specimens, so that it is necessity which forces me to adopt the above 

 plan, and here there are thousands of specimens which any collection in 

 Europe would be proud to have. To shew the nature of the coal, I 

 have enclosed specimens, which probably you will think worthy of being 

 sent to the Coal Committee, Calcutta, in order that they may see that it 

 is not true bituminous coal. The rocks illustrative of the district I 

 shall afterwards furnish. I have made a small collection of coins ; I send 

 some that appear most interesting; probably you will transmit them 

 to Secretary Torrens, for examination j their history, where found, &c. 

 I shall afterwards send. 



On the Literature and Origin of certain Hill Tribes in Sikkim. By A. 

 Campbell, Esq. Superintendent of Darjeeling. 



Ham Sing, Dewan of the Sikkim Raja, who is a Limboo, informs me, 

 that the original country of his tribe is the province of Chung in Thibet, a 

 short distance to the south of Lassa, and that the word " Chong," used 

 by the Lepchas to designate this tribe, is a corruption of the provincial 

 name. He also informs me that in his youth, fifty years ago, he used 

 to see Limboos reading pothis in a character, which he believes was pe- 

 culiar to his tribe, and that he was told by some of the patriarchs, that 

 this character was one which had been compounded from many others, 

 by a sage of the tribe, who had lived at a very remote unknown period. 

 There are now no traces of the existence of a written character peculiar 

 to the Limboos on this side of the snows, and as there is scarcely any 

 intercourse between the southern members of the tribe and their north- 

 ern progeners, and as those who essay writing in Nipal and Sikkim 

 choose the Nagri character, it is probable that the language of the 

 Limboos will not again be known as a written one on the southern side 

 of the Himalaya. 



Regarding the " Murmis," the same intelligent old gentleman tells 

 me, that their Thibetan origin is well established, and known to all well- 

 informed persons, who take an interest in tracing the peculiarities and 

 affinities of the Cis and Trans- Himalayan tribes. Although I have 

 mixed with many Murmis, I have not met with any who could give 



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