ASSAM has an area of 46,341 square miles, and a population of 4,881,426. It is in the extremo north-east of British India, being bounded on the north by the eastern section of the Himalaya mountains, which portion is inhabited by the Bhutia, Dafla, Aka, and other hill tribes. On its west and south lies Bengal proper, and on the east it has the feudatory Native State of Manipur and the wild regions of Upper Burma.
Assam is naturally divided into three portions, viz. the valley of the Brahmaputrn on the north, that of the Surma on the south, and between these two valleys are mountain regions running east and west, which form the watershed of the two basins, and help, with numerous streams, to swell the waters of two of the largest rivers which at the present day form the chief means of com munication. On the night of the census, there were 3899 boats on the rivers, with 20,301 persons on board. The people are thus distributrql There are persons to the square mile ; but there is much waste land ; the density ranged from 9.91 per square mile in North Cachar Hills to in Sylhet.
The Brahmaputra valley has been the scene of frequent revolutions, by which one tribe has succeeded to another, and each has left its traces on the character and physique of the present in habitants, who have Ahom, Chutiya, Koch, Bodo, and Aryan blood largely in their veins. They are a proud, haughty, and indolent people, and have been inclined to use opium in excess.
Hindu missionaries are largely and actively engaged in proselytizing. The chief of the propa ganda are Gosains from Nadya and Kanouj. A few of the ICamrfip Gosain marry, but those of Upper Assam are celibates of the Vaishnava sect, living in monasteries (shatra) with their temple in the centre, and the cells of their chief followers, to the number sometimes of several hundred, dis posed in order around it. There are also some Kolita missionaries.
The Chutiya, Koch, and Rajbansi have accepted Hinduism. The Madhahi, Mahalia, Rabha, Sarania, Totila are semi-Hinduized ; but the Garo, Hajong, Kachari, Halting, and Mech remain in their own faiths.
The Kachari chiefly worship the Bathau or the Siju (Gharbura), a species of euphorbia (E. anti quorum). A plant of it is kept in every courtyard as their tutelary deity, called Siju-Gohain, and is carefully protected by a fence of split bamboo.
Offerings are made of rice, eggs, chickens, and goats. Other of their deities are Mainau, who pro vides food and drink ; Khober (? Kuvera), the god of wealth; Hasung Madai, the traveller's god ; with Dalah, Gabang, Hagrani, Madill, sylvan deities ; and Daini Madiii, gods of the waters.
The Deori or Deoshi is their divine, who in sickness and peace makes offerings of salt, rice, pulse, eggs, chickens, pigeons, goats, pigs, to the wrathful deity, and works himself up into a state of hysteria.
Other tribes named are the Aka on the borders, the Kolita and Kaibarth in the valley.
The Mulaammadans also are actively proselytiz ing, and their numbers are 1,317,022.
On the Northern Assam frontier are found, in the following order from east to west, the Aka, Bor, Abor, Doffia, Miri, and Mishmi.
On the Southern Assam frontier we have the numerous Naga and Singpbo dialects, the Mikir and Angami, the languages of the Khassya and Jaintia hillmen, the Boro in Cachar, and the Garo in the hills of that name.
Abor and Bor-Abor tribes occupy the hills between the Subansiri and Dihang rivers, and extend to the east. They are powerful tribes. The Abor have a Morang or town hall in each of their villages, which is occupied nightly by all the bachelors, and a proportion of all the married men; that at Membu was 200 feet long, and had 16 or 17 fireplaces. They call themselves Padam. The term Abor is said by Colonel Dalton to mean barbarous. It is applied particularly to the bill races on the southern slopes of that portion of the great Himalayan range between the Dihang and Subansiri rivers.
The Manipur State has an area of 8000 square miles, and a population numbering 221,070. It is a hill country, sparsely occupied, with 27 in habitants to the square mile. The bulk of the Manipuri of the valley claiming a Kshatriya descent (130,892) have embraced Hinduism. The men are indolent, and leave the out-door work to the women and to slaves. The Koi are of slave descent. The bill tribes number 85,288. The non-Hindu tribes have about 300 deities to whom they sacrifice. •