1839-] Capt. Pemberton's Mission to Bootan, 1837-38. 261 



castles are the only places well inhabited, but the inmates might 

 very advantageously be dispensed with, as they consist of idle priests 

 in excess, and bullying followers ; both too happy to live at the ex- 

 pense of the poor cultivators. 



The causes of this scantiness of the population exist in polyandry, 

 and one of its opposites agyny, in the bad government, and the filthy 

 and licentious habits of the people. The great rarity of aged people 

 struck us all very forcibly, and is a proof that whatever may be 

 the proportion of births, the proportion of life is below average. The 

 bad influence of polyandry is supposed to be counteracted by the idea, 

 that the spouse of many will be faithful to the eldest so long as he 

 may be present, and after him to the second, and so on ; — such an idea 

 is at best absurd, and as regards Bootan women, is positively ridi- 

 culous, their chastity not being of such a quality as to induce them to 

 be particular as to relationship, or even acquaintance. 



The expected celibacy of so large a portion of the inhabitants, al- 

 though probably assumed in some degree, and which depends either on 

 acceptance of office or on the course of education, must be very 

 pernicious. The large number thus withdrawn from propagating — the 

 only good in their power — would lead us to suppose that polygamy 

 would be of much more likely occurrence than polyandry ; and the 

 custom is rendered still more paradoxical by the contrariety of custom 

 observed amongst most other Asiatic people, who make polygamy 

 almost an invariable consequence of worldly prosperity. 



In very many places there is obviously an extreme disproportion of 

 females to males, yet it would be too much to assume that there is a 

 general disproportion, although the two causes above adverted to be 

 would sanction such a belief, unnatural as it may supposed to be. We 

 could not ascertain that the apparent disproportion of females was 

 the result of unnatural conduct on the part of the Booteas, although 

 in my opinion they are sufficiently capable of destroying either male 

 or female offspring, did they consider it expedient to their interests. 



Of the diseases, which in all countries form so essential a part of the 

 causes tending to diminish population, I know nothing. The few pati- 

 ents 1 had at Punukka were all suffering from venereal, frequently in 

 its worst form. Chillong Soobah assured me that such cases occur in 

 the proportion of one in five. 



The number of half-ruined villages would suggest the idea that the 

 population was formerly more extensive than it now is. But it must 

 be remembered that, in this as well as most other hilly parts of India, 

 the population is partly migratory. In a country where agriculture is 

 not understood, where no natural means exist for renovating the soil, 



