584 Notes upon a tour through the Rdjmahal Hills. [No. 7. 



see the torture, for it can fall little short of such an infliction, the Son- 

 thai women put themselves to, in order to, as they imagine, adorn 

 their bodies. Their arms, ancles and throats are each laden with hea- 

 vy brass or bell metal ornaments. I had a quantity of these ornaments 

 weighed, and found that the bracelets fluctuated from two to four 

 pounds ; the anklets four pounds each ; and as a fully equipped belle 

 carries two anklets, and perhaps twelve bracelets, and a necklace 

 weighing a pound, the total weight of ornaments carried on her per- 

 son amounts to thirty-four pounds of bell metal ; a greater weight 

 than one of our drawing-room belles could well lift. Almost every 

 woman in comfortable circumstances carries twelve pounds weight of 

 brass ornaments upon her person. 



The hill-women are much more moderate as far as the heavy metal 

 ornaments are concerned, which would never agree with the frequent 

 trips up and down their steep hills, but as many as twenty strings of 

 bright coloured beads which cover the whole of the throat and breast of 

 the wearer may be seen worn by a market-going woman. 



Direction east, five and half miles, over a highly cultivated plain of 

 black cotton soil ; passed between two hills composed of sandstone, 

 basalt and iron stone to Meghee, where there is a bungalow. The 

 view of the hills from the bungalow is particularly beautiful, every 

 peak or rise in the hills has a village upon it, surrounded by mango 

 and palm trees; the hill sides are cleared of jungle for several miles 

 for the reception of the rain crops. Meghee is situate immediately in 

 front of the Munjwa pass, through which pass, it is supposed, the 

 Muhammedans invaded Bengal. 



Mr. Pontet has planted a garden at Meghee in which are flourish- 

 ing coffee trees, lemon, casuarima, pine-apples, peas, cauliflowers, beet, 

 mint, carrots and plantains. 



30th January, 1851. — Direction north, twelve miles, over a fine 

 cultivated country entirely occupied and tilled by Sonthals, passed 

 through Murroro where there is a bungalow, to one of the boundary 

 pillars, where I pitched my tent. 



In the evening, went three and half miles along the boundary in a 

 northerly direction, over a newly cleared country, which three years 

 ago was a dangerous jungle on account of tigers. The zemindars of 

 Munheearee a neighbouring and contiguous Tuppeh to the Damin, 



