ASAM AND THE NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES. 435 



twenty musketeers, several sword and shield-bearers, and a gilt chatta, 

 the last given him by the JBurmans. The shields are of substantial 

 buffalo hide, well formed and varnished black, with gilt devices 

 on them. The swords were all Hurman. He maintained so much 

 reserve, that our conversation was not very interesting. After avoid- 

 ing to give an answer to several questions of a trivial nature, on such 

 topics as I considered required neither privacy nor previous consideration, 

 he hinted that he could be more communicative in the absence of the 

 crowd. Amongst other questions, I asked whether they had historical 

 records similar to those kept in Asam, but at this time I got no direct 

 reply, and afterwards, during our stay, could never get the Chiefs to allow 

 that they had them, though informed by the Luri Gohain, that it is a 

 custom in each village to treasure up a record of all remarkable events. 

 He spoke of the system of warfare and mutual aggression, which has 

 endured for the last fifty years, without either side having gained a 

 material advantage over the other : he lamented it, but saw no prospect 

 of its termination. Our friends had, but a few months before our arrival, 

 suffered the loss of the larger village Mirng Khamti, which had long 

 been their capital, and they informed us that they were now debating 

 measures for surprising and recovering it, in their turn. All our presents 

 were very much admired, particularly a handsome cut glass bowl, but 

 our guns and pistols excited by far the greatest interest. 



After his departure, the visit of another Raja was announced ! and 

 though introduced with much less state and ceremony, I discovered that 

 a mistake had been made in attributing to the former, the chief share of 

 authority. When the matter was afterwards cleared up, it appeared that 

 the aged gentleman now with us, is the Legislator ; while his nephew, as a 

 man of action, holds the executive power, in the capacity of War Minister 

 and General. The manners of the old man, the Bum Raja, were 

 remarkably mild and pleasing ; he expressed great curiosity about us, and 



