so 
H. Blochmann — Koch Bihar and A'tam. 
[No. 1, 
word ‘ succession’ has a had name in Asam, especially as there is no male 
relation in the whole family. He professes to be a Hindu ; but as he 
believes himself to be one of the great emanations of the deity, he worships 
no idols. The inhabitants profess no religion whatever. They eat whatever 
they get, and from whomsoever it be, following the bent of their uncivilized 
minds. They will accept food from Muhammadans and other people ; they 
will eat every kind of flesh except human, whether of dead or killed animals. 
They taboo butter, so much so that they refuse food, if it only smells of 
butter. 
The language of the Asamese differs entirely from the dialects spoken 
in Eastern Bengal. 
The males are strongly built. They are quarrelsome, fond of shedding 
blood, fearless in affrays, merciless, mean, and treacherous ; in lies and 
deceit they stand unrivalled beneath the sun. Their women have mild 
features, but are very black ; their hair is long, and their skin soft and 
smooth ; their hands and feet are delicate. From a distance the people 
look well ; but they are ill-favoured as far as proportion of limbs is 
concerned. Hence if you look at them near, you will call them rather ugly. 
Neither the women of the Rajah, nor those of common people, veil themselves ; 
they go about in the bazars without head-coverings. Few men have less 
than two wives ; most have four or five. The several wives of a man will 
carry on sales and barter among each other. 
In paying respect, the Asamese bend the knees ; and when the subjects 
go to the king or the phukans, they bend their knees, sit dozdnu, and fix 
their eyes on the ground. They shave the head and beard and whiskers ; 
and if a man only departs a little from this custom, they call him Bengalized 
and kill him. 
Asses, camels, horses, are as rare in Asam as pheenixes ; but like asses 
they will admire a donkey and pay a high price for it. If they see a camel, 
they get quite excited in their admiration. They are afraid of horses. If 
they catch one, they cut through the sinews of the feet ; and if a horseman 
attack a hundred armed Asamese, they will throw down their arms, and 
run away ; but if one of them should meet ten Muhammadans on foot, he 
will fearlessly attack them and even be victorious. 
To sell an elephant is looked upon as a heinous crime. The Rajah and 
the Phiikans travel in xinghetsans, and chiefs and rich people in dulls, made in a 
most ridiculous way. They use a kind of chair instead of howdahs. Turbans, 
long coats, trowsers, shoes, and sleeping on chdrpdis, are quite unusual. They 
use a coarse cloth for the head, one for the waist, and a sheet for the 
the shoulders. Some of the richer people wear a kind of half coat, which 
resembles our Yt^qubkhani jacket. Those who can afford it, sleep on a 
wooden dais. 
