A Sketch of Assam: With some account of the Hill TribesButler, John, Major
History
A Sketch of Assam: With some account of the Hill Tribes
Butler, John, Major
Assam (India) -- Description and travel; Assam (India) -- Social life and customs; Ethnology -- India -- Assam
The Tippum Rajah's sister was married to the late king of Ava, and
she is supposed to be in favour with the present king. It may be
owing to her influence that the Tippum Rajah is reported to be now
Governor of Hookong, to take advantage of any opportunity to invade
Assam. Scarcely a year passes without some such reports being spread
throughout the province, and there is great reason to believe that
the Singphoo insurrection of 1843 was raised at the suggestion, or at
least through the connivance of the Rajah; as many Burmese or Shans
under his jurisdiction crossed the frontier and joined the insurgents
in the hope of plundering the province. Had success attended their
first attempts, it cannot be doubted but that many more would have
soon followed their example, in the speedy removal of slaves and
property from Assam. But the real origin of the insurrection was
the occupation of the Koojoo tea garden and other tea tracts. The
constant desertion of the Dooaneah slaves and dependants, who are
the people chiefly employed in cultivation under the Singphoos,
besides the advance of civilization consequent on the establishment
of a considerable village at Jeypore with European residents, was the
source of much heart-burning. The occupation of Muttuck, formerly
under native management, must also have proved distasteful to a
savage people possessing a wild country and delighting in extensive
hunting-grounds. These circumstances, aggravated by frequent quarrels
with the Sipahees at Ningroo, the unauthorized apprehension of two Let
Singphoos by the Jemadar, and a desire of revenge for the execution,
many years ago, of Ningroola Gaum's kinsman, certainly contributed
to produce the insurrection of 1843.
Viewing the nature of our connection with the Singphoos generally, it
must be acknowledged that the balance of advantage had been decidedly
in their favour; for while we have been called upon to fight their
battles, little or no assistance has, comparatively, been afforded us
by them. Being a rude, treacherous people, little faith can be placed
in them; neither can we expect they will be influenced or bound by
any treaties not in accordance with their own views: in fact they have
in no respect fulfilled their obligations to the British Government.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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