e
with the view of filling their own stomachs with animal food. They live
in a very promiscuous manner, one hundred being occasionally accommodated
in a single house. Their laws appear to be simple,--all grave crimes
being judged by an assembly of Gams, who are on such occasions summoned
from considerable distances. All crimes, including murder, are punished
by fines: but if the amount is not forthcoming, the offender is cut up by
the company assembled. But the crime of adultery, provided it be
committed against the consent of the husband, is punished by death; and
this severity may perhaps be necessary if we take into account the way in
which they live.

"The men always go armed with knives, Lama swords, or Singpho _dhaos_ and
lances; and most of them carry cross-bows--the arrows for these are
short, made of bamboo, and on all serious occasions are invariably
poisoned with _bee_. When on fighting expeditions, they use shields,
made of leather, which are covered towards the centre with the quills of
the porcupine. Their lances are made use of only for thrusting: the
shafts are made either from the wood of the lawn (_Caryota urens_) or
that of another species of palm _juice_--they are tipped with an iron
spike, and are of great use in the ascent of hills. The lance heads are
of their own manufacture, and of very soft iron. They have latterly
become acquainted with fire-arms, and the chiefs have mostly each a
firelock of _Lama_ construction.

"With _Lama_ they carry on an annual trade, which apparently takes place
on the borders of either country. In this case _mishmee-teeta_, is the
staple article of the Mishmees, and for it they obtain _dhaos_ or
straight long swords of excellent metal and often of great length; copper
pots of strong, but rough make, flints and steel, or rather steel alone,
which are really very neat and good; warm woollen caps, coarse loose
parti-colored woollen cloths, huge glass beads, generally white or blue,
various kinds of cattle, in which _Lama_ is represented as abounding, and
salts. I cannot say whether the Lamas furnish flints with the steel
implements for striking light; the stone generally used for this purpose
by the Mishmees is the nodular production from _Thumathaya_,--and this,
although rather frangible, answers its purpose very well; with the
Singphos they barter elephants' teeth, (these animals being found in the
lower ranges,) for slaves, dhaws, and buffaloes.

"With the