622 



Native account of washing for gold in Assam. [July, 



Gold washing is the occupation of the sonwal pykes, but other pykes 

 sometimes join with them and receive their share. The tax is levied on 

 the sonwals only at the following rates. At the time of the washing, the 

 Burahs, and Sykeas with their sonwal pykes go in a body to the place 

 selected by them, and at the close of the year each pyke gives -J a 

 tolah of gold for his share of tax ; but there is an extra cess levied for 

 melting, &c. according to the quality of the gold ; for the best kind (or 

 votom) they give 3 rattees more than the 1 tolah, for second best (or 

 modom) 4 rattees, for third sort (or norrom) 6 rattees or 1 anna ; be- 

 sides this there is a commission of one rupee's weight in every 20 taken 

 by the Phookuns and Burrooahs, half tolah in 20 by the Teklahs and 

 Burrahs, £ tolah by the Bhundar Kagotee, and when the tax in gold 

 is presented to the raja, the Chung Kagotee, the Bhundaree Leekeerah, 

 the Pachonee, and the Kookoorah chowah Burrah, take altogether 1 J 

 tolahs of silver for each tolah of gold. 



In the time of raja Rajeswur Sing, the sonwals of Upper Assam 

 alone used to give 6 or 7000 tolahs of gold in addition to the moheea 

 or tax that was levied on them, and in raja Goureenath Sing's time 

 the sonwals of Upper Assam used to give 4000 tolahs of gold every 

 year ; besides this there was gold received from the following places of 

 Lower Assam, Chingah> Sondhonee, Chooteea, and Chatgarree, and 

 it was also brought from the Bhooteahs by a sunzattee sent by the raja. 

 The best kind of gold is that found by the jongol sonwals, and the 

 Kacharee sonwal's gold is the worst. 



The hill streams produce the best gold, and the stronger the current 

 of the stream the better the gold ; very slow running streams do not pro- 

 duce good gold. The gold found in the Burrumpootur is not good, it 

 is washed by the Kacharee sonwals, and this is the reason why the Ka- 

 charee sonwals have no good gold. 





List of rivers in 



Assam which prod 



uce gold. 



1 Lohit 



*1 Kakoee 



I Sonsiri 



I Doka Jooree 



1 Dihing 



*1 Kuddum 



*1 Jongloong 



In the east 2 Jooree, if 



1 Tengapanee 



*1 Somdiri 



*1 Jajee 



the gold is washed with the 



1 Paroorah 



*1 Doosra Deejoo 



*1 Desoee 



consent of the Dufla, 



1 Dehong and 



1 Dikrung 



Under the Dufla 



each party can collect £ of 



Dibong 





bills in Chardoar 



a tolah daily. 



1 Deegaree 



1 Kharaee 







1 Dhol 



1 Boorooee 



1 Doobeea 



I Pomaha 



*1 Seedang 



1 Bor Gang 



1 Pormaee 



1 Garroah 



1 Dibooroo 



1 Bor Deekoree 



1 Roydeng 



Besides the above there 



1 Soobun siri 



*1 Bhoirobbee 



1 Bechumae 



are several other small 



1 Deejoo 



1 Mansiri 



1 Kallee Jooree 



streams. 



The names of rivers marked thus * produce the best gold. 



