THE ETHNOLOGY OP SOUTH EASTERN ASIA. 



as to be close on the historical, the only civilised people in the 

 Chinese region appears to have been an inland tribe occupying the 

 most northern district. Although the other nations of the Hoang- 

 ho early participated in its civilisation, it was only about 2,000 

 years ago that its sway had extended to the sea. It was T\ot, in all 

 probability, till a comparatively recent period that the northern 

 civilisation began to spread to the southward, and the amalgama- 

 tion of the south with the north is an event not older than the rise 

 of the Mahomedan religion. Thus although there have been 

 nations in China from a remote period, there has not been a united 

 empire until recently , and internal wars, with the constantly re- 

 curring necea -i'y of resisting the Tartar and Tibetan tribes, have 



{rovented the exercise of greater influence on Ultraindia. In 

 ndia again the Iranian civilisation was long confined to a small 

 district north of the Ganges, and ages must have elapsed before it 

 extended eastward to the sea. 



The relative positions of the present TJltraindian races appear to 

 be intimately connected wiih their most ancient locations and sub- 

 sequent movements, for all these races and their languages are 

 native to the region. They justify us in concluding that the Anam 

 race in irw most inner ancient seat was either placed between the 

 the Lau tribes and the Chinese tribes of the S. W. or came into its 



E resent location from the westward. There are some grounds for 

 elieving that they extended at one time much furthvr to the west, 

 perhaps across Ultraindia to the basin of the Brahmaputra, and it 

 will probably prove that many of the tribes of the Irawadi, 

 including even tie Mon, are more closely connected with them than 

 with the Burmese.* The Lau race again has evidently been in all 

 eras to the eastward of the Mayama, and much more closely allied 

 to the Chinese. The language alone woidil prove this. The 

 Mayama and the allied *ribesof the Irawadi are as unequivocally 

 connected, both by their present position and by their language, 

 with the Tibetan and Tibeto-Gangetie tribes. There is no evidence 

 of the Mayama family having occupied the Mekong or other 

 eastern basins, and their primitive locality was probably the S. E. 

 extremity of the Tibetan table land, or some of the vallies in the 

 great mountain mass at the head of the Ir«wadi and eastern Brah- 

 maputra basins. There are still many distinct tribes towards the 

 head of the former, and those known under the name of Khanung 

 may prove to be closely allied to the Mayama family or interme- 

 diate between them and the Tibetan* The Abor, Mishmi, Naga 

 &c. appertain more distinctly to the Tibeto-Gangetic alliance. 

 The Mayama family is at present the nearest link between this 

 alliance and the Lau-Chinese. 



• The publication of a Mon vocabulary in an early number of this Journal will 

 throw light oil thin. Before I come to the western racta I hope, through the kind- 

 ness of a zealous contributor, to be In possession of aullicient specimens of the Mon 

 to enable me to determine lt« structure and ethnic alliance*. 



