liv 



Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [July, 184G. 



Lately when at Lahore, I observed in the outskirts of the city, in many places, 

 horses' heads hung up by the nose on trees. On asking the reason of this, I was 

 told that it is an olden custom, there, for suwars and others in whose care a friend 

 may have left a horse, that if it died in his absence the head was cut off and thus 

 suspended in order that, when he should return, it should be shewn to him in proof 

 that it had not been stolen or otherwise made away with. The owner is taken to 

 the spot and is told—" There, brother, is your horse's head ; recognise it •, it died ; 

 be satisfied." 



K. 



Read the following letter, dated 11th June, 1846, from Major 

 Jenkins, with reference to Col. Low's wish to become possessed of 

 authentic copies of Assamese characters (Journal Asiatic Society, vol. 

 Proceedings). 



With reference to your note of the 12th of May, enclosing a copy of a letter from 

 Col. Low, requesting an alphabet of the Abom character, &c. — I have the pleasure 

 to send you a note from Captain Brodie, who will, as quickly as possible, forward 

 what the Colonel wishes for. I will ask Captain Brodie to send a few of the 

 Boorunjees he alludes to, and which I have no doubt will be curious as showing 

 the common dialect of about a million of Assamese ; formed out of the corruption 

 and mingling of Bengali, or whatever was the language of the old Kamroop kingdom, 

 (the same I presume as what prevailed in Sylhet), and of the Shan language brought 

 in by the Kooch Cacharees and Aboms. The Assamese is now confined to Assam, 

 but it probably extended down to Dacca and over all the Eastern parts of Bengal, 

 wherever the Kolitas and Koches can be traced. The latter, beyond Assam, are 

 now all Rajbunses, but the former are probably lost under the name of Koist. But 

 in all the Eastern zillahs, the greater part of all the Bengalis of this class are pro- 

 bably only recently converted Koches, as we know that we are losing our Kolitas 

 daily. 



The following, dated 4th June, 1846, is Captain Brodie' s letter, 

 enclosed : — 



I shall have much pleasure in doing my best to procure the alphabet, vocabu- 

 lary and numerals, which the Asiatic Society require for Colonel Low. I have a 

 memo, of the nnmerals in the Roman character, and they appear to be identical with 

 the Siamese. 



4. 



fLiru 

 \ Looi 



g, or 

 Loong. 



2. Sung. 



3. Sam. 



6, 



See. 



7. Cheet. 



Hans. 



8. Pet. 



J Rook, or 

 t Hook. 



9. Kau. 



10. Cheep 



These correspond, many of them, exactly with the Siamese numerals found at 

 page 55 of Low's Grammar. 



