88 The Ethnology of India. 



would admit the equality, but the Kangra and Jummoo Rajas and 

 their clans affect among themselves to be of very blue blood indeed, and 

 they are certainly very fine handsome men. The Kangra Rajpoots in 

 particular are very fair and handsome and High-Arian looking. I 

 fancy that in all these hills, for a considerable distance to the east, 

 there is a great deal of Kashmeeree or rather old Kasha blood. The 

 women of the hills are in deserved repute and much sought after 

 in the plains. The Kangra Rajas have endless genealogies, but I 

 think that their clansmen are somewhat effeminate looking and not 

 very first rate soldiers. The men of the Jummoo country, the im- 

 mediate clansmen and subjects of the Maharaja of Cashmere, (and 

 who also occupy the west of the Kangra district), commonly called 

 Dogras, are not spoken of with so much Hindoo respect, and are not 

 so pretty and be-jewelled looking as the Kangra men, but they are 

 much more robust and brave. In the Punjab force, no men are pre- 

 ferred to them as soldiers ; they are quiet, staunch, steady and reliable, 

 without the disagreeable Hindustanee airs of the old Sepoy Rajpoots. 

 The Rajpoot population of these hills must be very considerable. 

 East of the Sutlej, in the Simla hills, many of the Rajas and their 

 followers are Rajpoots, but most of the agriculturalists are of another 

 caste called Kanaits. 



A large proportion of the Rajpoots scattered about the Eastern 

 Punjab, Cis- Sutlej territory, and Dehli districts are now Mahomme- 

 dans, as are occasional Rajpoot villages all over Hindustan and a good 

 many Rajpoot Rajas, this being no doubt the result of the favour 

 shown to the Rajpoots by the Mogul Emperors ; but east of Dehli 

 conversion is quite the exception, by far the greater number are 

 staunch Hindus. 



In the Gangetic valley the body of the Rajpoot population may 

 be said to lie next to the Jats to the east, in the middle Doab, 

 Rohilcund, and Oude ; and still farther east the country is shared 

 with a Bramin population. Before Rohilcund (given as a jagheer to 

 Rohillas) acquired its present name, it was known as the Rajpoot 

 Province of Katerh, and to the present day in all lower Rohilcund 

 the Rajpoot communities, (they are there called Thakoors) are strong 

 and numerous. They are also numerous in Western Oude, but for 

 what reason I know not, neither the Rohilcund men nor those of 



