84 



The Antiquities of the 



[No. 3^, 



oblivion. " Though the Thautawars" says Mr. Hough, " declare 

 *' that they know nothing about them, I nevertheless think it not 

 " unlikely that they contain the ashes of their ancestors." The " cir- 

 cumstances'' he continues, " of their having lost all recollection of 

 the fact may be easily accounted for ; indeed, might be expected, 

 «' when it is remembered what the Native traditions state, that the 

 " race was almost exterminated by the Polygars upwards of 400 years 

 " ago." 



Moreover it has been urged that it is impossible to prove these cairns 

 belonged to the ancient Thautawars ; I think as yet, it is impossible 

 to prove that they did not belong to them, and only request the atten- 

 tion of the unprejudiced reader to a comparison of the arguments on 

 both sides. 



In favour of the tumuli not having belonged to the early Thautawar 

 race is the simple statement of the present people being said to know 

 nothing about them, an obstacle, if true^ already surmounted, while 

 on the other hand I offer the subjoined strong evidence. 



1st. The shape of the cairns : a circle of stones similar to that of 

 the cemetries of the Thautawars at this day. 



2nd. The basins and other utensils, knives, arrow-heads, shreds 

 of cloth, mingled with charcoal and bones found in the cairns are 

 precisely the same articles buriecl at the funeral of a modern Thauta- 

 war. 



3rd. In both cases these things are deposited in holes under 

 large slabs in the middle of the cemetries. 



4th. The numerous figures of buffaloes, some with bells round 

 their necks, made of pottery, found in the cairns are monuments of 

 the antiquity of the Thautawar custom of sacrificing buffaloes deco- 

 rated with bells at funerals. 



5th. In every case I have observed a Thautawar village situated 

 contiguously to the cairn, manifesting some connection. 



6th. The Thautawars claim to be the original proprietors of the 

 land, a claim acknowledged by the English, as well as the Native in- 

 habitants of the Hills. 



7th. The prevailing opinion amongst the latter that these cairns 

 belonged to the early Thautawar people. 



8th. The absence of any inscriptions on any of the vessels dug 

 out of the cairns, considered with reference to the fact of the Thau- 

 tawars having no written language. 



9th. The circumstance of some lascars attempting to open a cairn 



