494 Report of an Expedition into the Mishmee Hills. [No. 163. 



Soon after my return from the Mishmee hills I again left Saikwah, 

 and proceeded by elephant up the Koondil-panee, and after passing the 

 mouth of the Depho-panee, followed up the course of that stream, until I 

 arrived at the foot of the hills ; and as the fort I was in search of was 

 said by my Khamptee guide to be between the Depho and Jameesa, I 

 took a direction through the jungle about east, and without much diffi- 

 culty arrived at the fort five days after quitting Saikwah. 



This fort* is said to have been built by Raja Sisopal, and is situated 

 on an elevated plain at the foot of the hills ; the extent of it is consider- 

 able, as it took me about four hours to walk along one side of its faces : 

 the defence is double, consisting of a rampart of stiff red clay, which, as 

 the surrounding soil appears of a different nature, must have been brought 

 from some distance. Below this rampart is a terrace of about 20 yards in 

 breadth, beyond which the side of the hill is perpendicularly scarped, 

 and varies from 10 to 30 feet high; the principal entrance, and the de- 

 fences for some distance on either side, are built of brick, and on many 

 spots in the interior I observed remains of the same materials, so that in 

 all probability the houses occupied by the inhabitants must have been 

 built of masonry. As I was unable from scarcity of provisions to remain 

 more than one day at this place, I could not examine it so minutely as 

 I could have wished. It seemed however to be composed of only three 

 sides, the steepness of the hill at its north face precluding the necessity 

 of any other works. At present the whole of the northern part of it is 

 thickly covered with tea, which extends, according to the Khamptees 

 who know the locality well, in a belt of more than a mile in depth all 

 along the foot of the hill within the fort, and not as marked in my map, 

 which was drawn before I visited the place. More to the west between 

 the Dihing and Dehong is a much larger fort, and, as I believe, entirely 

 composed of brick, as well as a tank of similar construction, surrounding 

 which are numerous hill forts of small dimensions erected by a Raja 

 named Bhishmuk, and the popular tradition amongst the people 

 of this part of the country is, that on the destruction of the em- 

 pire of these kings by the Hindoo god Krishno, the people who 



* Of these forts we had very imperfect information before, and 1 believe Lieutenant 

 It. is the first officer who ever visited them. They refer to a time of which we have 

 no history or even tradition, further than frequent traces of the dynasty of the Pals 

 throughout Assam. — F. J. 



