H. Blochmann — Koch Bihar and A'sdm. 
1872.] 
annoyances lie had to suffer at the hands of Qasim, who certainly possessed 
little tact, if any, he left his post and proceeded over G’horag’hat to Court. 
Qasim therefore sent Sayyid Hakim, an imperial officer, and Sayyid Aba 
Baler with 10 to 12000 horse and foot and 400 large ships to Hajo, and 
ordered them to invade Asam. They waited in Hajo for the end of the 
rains, marched three or four stages into Asam, when they were totally de- 
stroyed by tire Asame.se in a night attack. As this disaster was caused by 
the shortsightedness of Qasim Khan, he was deposed from his office as 
governor of Bengal. 
( Page 68.) Asam borders on Hajo. As the Asamese exclude foreigners, 
the only information regarding the country that we possess, is derived from 
prisoners or some of those doggish Asamese who come, to Hajo as traders. It 
is a large country, producing elephants and lignum aloes, which is called agar 
in Hindiistan, and also gold of inferior purity, which sells at half price. It 
borders on Khata (Chinese Tartary). The present king [A. H. 1047, or 1637, 
A. D.] is called Sarg Deo, and is an infidel who keeps one thousand elephants 
and one hundred thousand foot. The inhabitants shave the head, and clip 
off heard and whiskers. They eat every land and water animal. In looks 
they resemble the Qaraqylp&q (?) tribe. They are very black and loath- 
some to far and near. The chiefs travel on elephants or country ponies ; hut 
the army consists only of foot soldiers. The fleet is large and well fitted 
out. The soldiers use bows and arrows and matchlocks, but do not come up 
m courage to our soldiers, though they are very brave in naval engagements. 
On the march they quickly and dexterously fortify their encampments 
with mud walls and bamboo palisades, and surround the whole with a ditch. 
It was mentioned above that Baldeo had fled to the king of Asam, 
whom he now persuaded to invade Hajo, offering his assistance under the 
condition that he was to be appointed governor of the province. The Asam 
Rajah agreed and sent Baldeo with an army towards Hajo. Profiting by 
the unsettledness arising from the removal of one governor and the arrival of 
another, Baldeo took Durang, which was owned by several zamindars of 
that district and lies about 10 kos from Hajo, on the south of the Brahma- 
putra, and continued his aggressions by force and persuasion, so that he soon 
saw himself at the head of 10 to 12000 men, both Asamese and Bangalis. 
The frontier t’hanah of the Asamese, therefore, which under the rale of 
Parichhat had been far off, was now much pushed forward. 
At the time of Khan Zaman, who acted as Governor of Bengal for his 
father Mahabat Khan, Baldeo continued his raids unopposed, and took away 
Parganahs Lulu* and Bhaomanti, causing not only much distress in 
those districts themselves, but inflicting also severe losses on the empire, 
* Duar Luki is separated from Gwalpara byParganah Habrag’hat, and lies E. E.S. 
°f Gwalpara. 
