MAJOR BUTLER'S ASSAM. • THE subject of the author's former work

on Assam and its hill tribes, published eight years ago,t is continued in this volume.

Like that book, its principal features refer to the manners and customs of the natives and the physical features of the country, rather than to the "travels" or " adventures " of the titlepage. It is true, there is an account of some small expeditions against the Nagahs of the hills; who made a better fight of it than could have been expected, extemporizing a fortress that could not be taken till guns and mortars were brought up. There are nar- ratives of some exploration journies, characterized by hardships and hard work, owing to the rugged and woody nature of the country ; paths often having to be cut before any advance could be made, and occasionally, when this was impracticable, a river served for a road.

"At last there was no possibility of climbing over the perpendicular ledges of rock in our front ; we were obliged, therefore, to take to the river, and a ludicrous scene occurred. It was a bitterly cold day, and a slight drizzling rain was falling; to add to our discomfort, the water was two and three feet deep, extremely cold, and running with extreme rapidity over a stony bed.

The Sipahees, and all of us indeed, immediately relieved ourselves of our

trousers, which each threw over his shoulders, one leg dangling on each side as far as the breast, and with short cotton drawers and naked feet we all cheerfully entered the water, and crawled along slowly for a mile and a half. On each side the banks were very precipitous, and many bluff high projections were surmounted with the utmost difficulty. The rolling stones in the bed of the river were as slippery as glass, and some of the boulders wereparticularly sharp, cutting our feet like a knife. Scarcely one of us got along without an unhappy fall ; but no matter who fell, whether officers, Sipahees, or Coolies, hearty shouts and laughter repeatedly proclaimed that another luckless wight had fallen, and had been saved the trouble of a bath. No one heeded the sufferings that we were obliged to endure, for all were anxious to quit the bed of the river as quickly as possible. We had now

been a long time in the water, and our progress seemed exceedingly slow, and we were becoming excessively cold, and shook to such a degree that we

could hardly stand ; but we persevered, and at last quitted the river, put on our clothes hastily, and trudged over a succession of low hills for three miles and five furlongs, which brought us to our encampment on the West bank of the Deeboo river, near Rojapo-mah. Our feet were terribly lacerated and bruised by walking barefooted over the rolling atones ; and few of us in a long life probably will easily forget the pain and suffering of this day's march."

The matter of the book, however, is upon the whole descriptive of the customs, character, and mode of life of the Assamese and hill tribes surrounding them ; the people forming, indeed, the pro- minent feature even in the account of war and travel.

Assam may be described as a level country intersected by rivers and surrounded if not permeated by chains of hills rising into little mountains, while forest and jungle clothe both plain and hill. The inhabitants of the plains are the Assamese proper, a diminished and declining people, with the corrupt remains of an Oriental civiliza- tion. A race called generically Nagahs, though taking prefixes according to their geographical position, form the greater part of the bill tribes, and bear some resemblance to what the Scottish Highlanders were at an early period of their history, except that the Nagah chief or head of the Nagah village has very little real power. Each tribe is independent of the other ; and they may unite for a common purpose, such as robbing the lowlanders, but they are as often as not at war among themselves. The Rookies are another prominent race or tribe ; not so warlike as the Nagahs, though seemingly rather more advanced. The customs of all have a resemblance to those of the Teutonic races, rather than to the Asiatics or the people of Southern Europe ; the hill tribes having a democratic freedom, self-government, and, among the Rookies especially, the habit of transacting everything over a din- ner or feast. Cruel and bloody most of them are, with that utter indifference to human suffering, or whether they inflict it upon the real offender or the innocent, which distinguishes savages. As among all mountaineers, blood-feuds prevail.

"It is totally incompatible with Nagah honour to forego taking revenge, and it is incumbent on him to ransom or recover the skull of a relative

murdered or captured in war. Years may elapse; but the murder of a rela- tive is never forgotten, and when a favourable opportunity offers, probably twice the number of victims are sacrificed. Retaliation again ensues, and consequently there can never be a termination to these exterminating feuds. Exclusively of revenge, however, one of their most barbarous customs is that of cutting off the heads, hands, and feet of any one they can meet with, without any provocation or preexisting enmity, merely to stick them up in their fields, and so insure a good crop of grain. This fractice is very com- mon amongst the adjoining tribe of Lotah Nagahs, and the Angahmee Nagahs are said also to be addicted to it, but not so frequently."

Of Assam tea we hear nothing ; and although civilization, or at least the Anglo-Indian power, has made some progress since Major Butler published his first volume, the prospects of the country are not promising. Military expeditions have cowed if not subdued the most warlike of the hill tribes ; missionaries are settled at Now- Gong, the head-quarters of the agent ; schools have been established in various places : but we trace few signs of actual improvement, no hopes of raising up a new Celestial Empire which shall supply us with the "cups that cheer but not inebriate." The obvious, indeed staring change, is a type of the whole—when the natives are induced to leave dram-drinking they take to opium. Major Butler thinks the physique of the Assamese is degenerating. At- tempts to improve the breed by new blood from the hills are not

• Travels and Adventures in the Province of Assam, during a Residence of Four- teen Years. By Major John Butler, 56th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry; Principal Assistant Agent North-East Frontier Assam, &c. Published by Smith and Elder.

Spectator for 1547, p. 592.

successful. The plains are to the mountaineers what Capua was to Hannibal's soldiers; spirits and opium effect a degeneration, with some assistance probably from a damper and warmer climate. The iron has entered into the soul of the Assamese aristocracy, What with the Burmese invasion at the time of the first war, and the British occupation since, the power and privileges of the quality are lost.

"In former times, none but the nobility, the Boorah Gohain, Bur Petra Gohain, Bur Gohain, who formed the chief council of the kingdom, were permitted to wear shoes ; and to this day the Assamese strictly adhere to the customs, for shoes are not worn by the lower classes throughout the country. "The right or title to ride in a palkee or dole was, in ancient times, only enjoyed by the nobles, and they had to pay for the honour of being per- mitted to ride in such a conveyance 1000 rupees (1001.) to the Rajah. A. short time since, a native judge, on being asked why he did not use a palkee, replied, 'Any one may now ride in a palkee : in former days, when we paid 1000 rupees to ride in a palkee or dola, then there was some dignity in being thus conveyed, and none but men of rank were entitled to this privilege.' "

The great surviving feature of Assam is its game, from the ele- phant downwards. Of the field-sports Major Butler gives a brief picturesque account ; but we must pass the charge of the buffalo, the spring of the tiger, and the struggles of the captured elephant. There are a few specimens of Assamese music, and translations of the songs by a friend of the author. As the interpreter has evi- dently made use of English poetical phraseology, we know not how far he may have added to the sentiments. The structure is. that of all primitive composers. The cultivated artist treats his theme logically ; that is to say, the ornaments and illustrations really enforce his leading idea, which starting from a premiss reaches a conclusion—an anacreontio is often in reality a piece of reasoning. The songs of primitive tribes or nations, as well as of uninstructed people, do not get beyond a succession of inde- pendent ideas or images, which may have a relation to each other but not a connexion, and any of which could be taken away. Moore preserves this characteristic in the Canadian boat-song; it is maintained in this Assamese song on a similar theme.

" Shades of night are falling fast—pull away, eh, hey ;

All our toil will soon be past—pull away, eh, hey.

Round Thamlya's point we steer—pull away, eh, hey ;

See the Puckah Ghat appear—pull away, eh, hey.

Strike together for your lives—pull away, eh, hey, Towards our sweethearts and our wives—pull away, eh, hey.

First we smoke the fragrant weed—pull away, eh, hey ; Morpheus then will slumbers speed—pull away, eh, hey.

We must work if we would live—pull away, eh, hey ; Sahib will our backahish give—pull away, eh, hey.'