OBSERVATION S ON THE INHABITANTS OF THE GARROW HILLS, Made during a public Deputation in the Years 1788 and 1789. BY JOHN ELIOT, Esa. N the month of September 1788, I was deputed I by Government to inveftigate the duties collected on the Garrow hills, which bound the northeaftern parts of Bengal; and, to conciliate the good will of the people, who had hitherto known no intercourfe with Europeans, fome fcarlet cloth was given me by Government to be diftributed to them. THE mountaineers, who inhabit different parts of India, have been generally confidered favages, equally unreftrained by law and morality, and watchful to take every opportunity of committing depredations on the low country, pillaging the inhabitants, and destroying their villages, whenever they could do fo with impunity. At Bglepore, however, it has been proyed, that the hill-people, by good treatment and encouragement, may be in a great degree civilized and rendered at least peaceable and inoffenfive, if not ferviceable: my obfervation of the character and the conduct of the Garrows has induced me to believe the same good confequences may be expected from encouraging them; but I propofe to relate in plain language what I experienced on my vifit to them, and leave others to form their own judgment; and, as I am the firft European, who has travelled among them, I fhall alfo add a few obfervations on the country, and on what attracted my notice as being in any respect peculiar. ON drawing near the hills you have a beautiful fight of three ranges of mountains, rising one above another; but on nearer approach they vanifh, except the Gonaffers, the lower range, in appearance infignificantly fmall. The verdure and rich land, however, fully recompence the lofs; and, turn your eye which way you will, you fee fomething to cheer the mind, and raise the fancy, in the numerous fmall villages round about, protected from the heat by a variety of trees interfperfed. THE firft pafs, I went to, was Ghofegong, fituated on the weft fide of the Natie river. Here a great number of Garrows refide at the foot of the pass in three villages, Ghofegong, Ghonie, and Borack. The head people of the villages are called Boneabs, a name used by the head the king refided at Gour. Rájás in Bengal, when this name, I could not learn ; and many other things, which might lead to discoveries, escaped my knowledge from the want of a good interpreter. OODASSEY BOONE AH is looked on as the head man of this pafs at prefent, having moft influence with his fect; but the rightful chief is MOMEE, a woman, and her power being, by established ufage, transferable by marriage to her husband, he ought in confequence to prefide; but, from his being a young and filly man, the chicfship is ufurped by OODASSYEY, and his ufurpation is fubmitted to by MOMEE and her husband. OODASSEY however is by no means a violent or artful man. He is far from poffeffing a bad disposition, is a mild man, and by all accounts takes great pains to do justice, and keep up unanimity with his people. THE Village Ghofegong is furrounded by a little jungle. On paffing it, the village is opened to your fight, confifting of Chaungs or Houfes from about thirty to 150 feet long, and twenty or forty broad. THESE Garrows are called by the villagers and upper hill people Counch Garrows, though they themselves, if you ask them, of what caft they are, will answer Garrows, and not give themselves any appellation of caft, though they are many cafts of Garrows, but with what differences I had not time to afcertain. THE foil is of a fine black earth, here and there intermixed with fpots of red earth; its richness is plainly feen from the quickness of vegetation. The rice is in many places equal to the Benares long rice. The muftard feed is twice as big as any produced in the pergunnahs of Bengal, where I have been, and the oil it produces, is as fuperior to, as the fize of its grain is greater than, any other. The hemp is equally good, but, as to its fuperiority to what may be produced in other pergunnahs, I am unable to speak with certainty as far as I can judge from my own observation, the fort brought to the Calcutta market, is not equal to what is produced on the borders of the hills. The pafture for cattle may be claffed next in quality to that of Plaf fy plain; and this I infer from its being generally known, the Sheerpour and Sufung ghee is nearly as good as that made at Plaffy. : THERE are rivers at the feveral paffes. Thofe of note are the Natie, Mahareefee, Summafferry, and Mabadeo. On the weft fide of the Natie is Ghofegong, and on the eaft the Suffoor pafs. Abrahamabad or Bygembarry is on the east fide of the Mahareefee; Augbur, on the caft of Summafferry; and Burradowarrah, on the weft of Mahadeo. Thefe rivers are all of a fandy and gravelly bottom, with much limeftone and iron. The Mahadeo has abundance of coals, the oil of which is esteemed in the hills as a medicine for the cure of cutaneous diforders, and is reputed to have been firft discovered to the hill people and villagers by a Fakeer. The mode of extracting the oil is fimple. A quantity of coals are put into an earthen pot, the mouth of which is stopped topped with long grafs by way of ftrainer. This pot is put into a large deep pan, perforated at the bottom, fo as to admit of the neck of the pot being put through it; the pan is fupported upon bricks to prevent the neck of the pot from touching the ground, and alfo that a veffel may be placed under the ftrainer as a refervoir for receiving the oil as it drops. The pan is filled with dry cow dung, which is ufed as fuel, and extracts the oil in courfe of an hour. THERE are but few forts of fifh in thefe rivers: turtle are to be had in great numbers, and are always confecrated by facrifice before they are eaten. The hill people are however fully recompenced for the lofs of fish in the rivers, by the great abundance they get from the neighbouring lakes. A GARROW is a ftout well-fhaped man, hardy and able to do much work; of a furly look, flat Cafri like nofe, fmall eyes, generally blue, or brown, forehead wrinkled, and overhanging eye brow, with large mouth, thick lips, and face round and fhort; their colour is of a light or deep brown; their drefs confifts of a brown girdle, about three inches broad; having in the center a blue ftripe; it goes round the waift, is paffed between the thighs, and is faftened behind, leaving one end or flap hanging down before, about eight inches ; fometimes it is ornamented with brafs-plates; with rows of ivory or a white ftone fhaped like bits of tobacco-pipes, about half an inch long; the brass plate |