these predecessors in the work-indeed ampler justice than we have any reason to suppose had ever been publicly rendered to them before-we shall now pursue the same impartial course with reference to the successor. In doing so, we shall make him speak very much for himself, and furnish our readers with the means of judging very much for themselves.

In his report of 1841, Captain Macpherson, after furnishing those deeply interesting details respecting the mountain Khonds, of which a faithful epitome has already been supplied in No. IX. of this work, proceeds to a consideration of the practical measures to be adopted towards them-both as a question of policy and with reference to their religion. In order to enable his readers clearly to apprehend the real adaptation of the suggested measures to the peculiarities of the case, our author very properly sets out by referring in a general and summary way to the more material facts in the history of the Khonds. And whoever will be at the pains of looking back to the first article in the ninth number of this work, can be at no loss to understand the import and appreciate the value of the following condensed statement:

"These tribes have existed from a period of the remotest antiquity, as they are seen at present, nearly isolated by manners, language, and prejudices of race from the surrounding Hindu population; while they have been until recently completely cut off by the interposed Zemindary domains, from all contact, from all relations with the successive Governments which these have acknowledged. To these Zemindaries they have been attached, individually, and in loosely coherent groups, as independent but subordinate allies.

The barrier by which they were thus separated from our immediate provinces was suddenly removed by our assumption of the Zemindary of Goomsur for arrears of tribute, which was followed by the rebellion of its Rajah, in the end of the year 1835.

That Chief retired before a force which advanced to apprehend him, and to take possession of his estates, into the Khond districts above the Ghats, which were most anciently attached to Goomsur, and there he soon after died.

A small body of troops then penetrated the great mountain chain, for the first time, to endeavour to obtain possession of his heir, of the remaining members of his family, and of his treasures.

The region into which it advanced was entirely unexplored. Of the Khond people we knew nothing save the name. We were ignorant of the nature of the connections, which subsisted between them and Goomsur, or the neighbouring Zemindaries. We knew nothing of their social organization, of their feelings towards the late Zemindar, or towards ourselves, of their numbers, their language, or their manners: while they could have formed no idea of the character of our power, of our views, of any of our objects.

A part of the mountain population was already combined against us, without any suspicion on our part, in anticipation of the course which we pursued; and was arrayed in the name of every authority which they

regarded as legitimate, confirmed by the most binding religious solemnities, and in the sacred name of hospitality.

The dying Rajah had obtained a pledge from several of the tribes of the plateau, given before their great divinity, to prevent in any event the capture of his family which had suffered treatment in the last degree dishonorable at our hands upon a former occasion when taken by Colonel Fletcher's force* in 1815.

The disposition of the Khonds, at first considered amicable, was observed to tend towards hostility, upon the apprehension of these distinguished guests; but the existence of their pledge first appeared from a bold, startling, and partially successful attempt to fulfil it. They rose and overwhelmed a small detachment which (contrary to the intentions of the Commissioner) was employed to escort a portion of the family of the Zemindar by a difficult pass from the plateau to the low country, putting to death, to prevent their dishonour, seven ladies of his Zenana.

The tribes which were chiefly implicated in this movement, immediately felt the weight of our vengeance. But the extreme sickliness of the advancing season soon after compelled us to suspend active operations.

At the end of the rains, a large and nearly fresh force of every arm was assembled to compel the unconditional submission of the Khonds, involving the surrender of their Patriarchs, and of some officers of the late Rajah, who had taken refuge with them, and a promise for the future, to yield to us the obedience and the services which had been given to Goomsur, that obedience being supposed to comprehend submission to the authority of a " Bisaye" of our appointment.

No opposition was offered to our advance. But the Khonds refused with the most admirable constancy, to bring their natural heads, or their guests, bound to our scaffolds. The country was laid utterly desolate. The population was unceasingly pursued by the troops. At the end of about two months, the Rajah's Hindu officers were given up for a reward in the Maliahs of Boad. The Patriarchs of the offending district of Goomsur were betrayed one by one through the Naiks of the border, and the Hindu inhabitants of the hills; with the exception of the chief Dora Bisaye who, favored or feared by all, escaped to the Patna Zemindary, from whence, having obtained the promise of his life from the Commissioner for Cuttack, he sometime after came in.

The Khond Chiefs of Baramútah were condemned and executed almost without exception.

Sunnuds, of the exact terms of which I am not informed, were given generally to their supposed heirs.

Sam Bisaye, the Hindu employé of the Khonds of Hodzoghoro, a district recently connected with Boad, was invested with the authority supposed to belong to the office of the chief Bisaye of the Rajah of Goomsur, and with a title, in the room of the federal Khond Patriarch Dora Bisaye.

By Act XXIV. of 1839, the Zemindaries of the Ganjam and Vizagapatam districts, with the territories of the connected tribes, were removed from the operation of the rules of the administration of Civil and Criminal Justice and for the collection of Revenue, and placed under Agents instructed by the Government of Fort St. George.

These Agents administer the established Criminal law under slightly modified rules of procedure. They administer the Civil law and the Revenue law modified in like manner, with these principal exceptions that questions

Col. F. divided with his officers the ladies and treasures of the Rajah, and was dismissed by a Court Martial in 1817.

of disputed succession to Zemindary Estates, and to lands held on any species of tenure analogous to the feudal, are not determined judicially, but decided by the Government upon the report of the Agent, as questions of policy, and in cases in which landed property, held on these tenures, and of considerable value, is involved, an appeal lies from the decision of the Agent, not to the Court of Sudder Adalut, but to the Governor in Council.

Our authority is acknowledged, in any degree, in the Khond districts of Goomsur alone, which our arms reduced. And no permanent advantage has attended the efforts which have been made towards the abolition of the rite of human sacrifices.

Thus it appears, that we first met the mountain Khonds of Goomsur as the ancient and religiously pledged allies, and at the same time the hosts of its rebel Zemindar, with whom from their situation, and from our policy, they had necessarily exclusive relations. A portion of them, in profound igno rance of the character, and the objects of our power, blindly offered resistance, and suffered the extreme penalties of rebellion.

We have heretofore necessarily met the Hill tribes of Orissa every where else in the same character alone, viz. as allies of Zemindars in revolt. Thus did we first encounter the Khonds, north of the Mahanudi, arrayed on the side of the rebel Rajah of Khúrdah, and under circumstances nearly analogous, as I am informed, occurred our first collision with the Koles, over whom we have since established a direct influence, and thus did we meet the still undescribed Sourah race leagued more or less permanently with the rebel Chiefs of Vizianagram, Golcondah, Kimedy and Palcondah.

And for the future, there exists the same risk of collision with other sections of the hill population, as the allies of numerous Chiefs of extensive and little known domains in the districts of Ganjam and Vizagapatam, besides the risk which may arise from our being in immediate contact with them."

After this brief but lucid historical epitome, Captain Macpherson proceeds to enquire, "What are our leading objects with respect to these tribes ?”

These leading necessary objects he conceives to be the following:-1st, "as a matter of policy to induce their acknowledgement of our supremacy, and to establish relations with them as subjects which shall supersede their exclusive relations with the Zemindaries as allies."-2ndly, "with reference to their religion, to effect the abolition of the rite of human sacrifices."

The next question, therefore, is, "How, or in what way are these objects to be successfully accomplished?" Here Captain Macpherson most emphatically replies that the first and most indispensable condition of their accomplishment isPEACE. Nay more, he goes on briefly but conclusively to shew, why it must be so.

The direct and more immediate object contemplated by our Government, was, the abolition of the rite of human sacrifice in the religious ceremonial of the Khond race. Now that rite, as fully shewn by Captain Macpherson, is "an act of worship which is of the very essence-the vital fact of their superstition-forming, in one point of view, its very sum.” It is a rite,

66

moreover, which is sanctioned-and this is particularly worthy of being noted-by "the practice of the only other religion, and by the authority of the only civilization heretofore known to them," viz. the religion and civilization of the Hindus. It had also been well established, that the "moral character of the Khonds is eminently distinguished by the power to resist coercion." Then, again, as regards the territory occupied by them, Captain Macpherson remarks, that it is connected chiefly with Zemindars, over whom our authority has never been practically established "-that it "extends over a space of 300 miles in length, and from 50 to 100 in breadth, between the Mahanudi and the Godavery, and is included partly in the Madras, partly in the Bengal territories, and partly within the limits of Nagpore "—that it is a wild inaccessible region, "composed of forest, swamp, and mountain fastnesses, interspersed with open and productive vallies "-and that, from its deadly climate, it is "habitable with safety by strangers, only during a few months in the year." Farther, Captain Macpherson, with reference to our power of repeating such a contest as that of the late Goomsur war, pointedly refers to the fact, that "the force which was assembled there, in the second year, amounted to nearly one-half of the Madras troops of the line, which-the army being then distributed at its usual stations-were available for foreign service; and that the sufferings of those troops from sickness, during the first year, was greater than has been recorded of any other force whatsoever." And yet, it was only a mere section of the Khond tribes against which the war was waged-only a mere fragment of their territory that was hostilely invaded!

Altogether Captain Macpherson's conclusion, from the first, was, that "the character of the Khonds and the physical nature of their country combined to preclude any attempt to effect the suppression of their great religious rite, by force, as a primary

The question, then, at once arose, "through what means, exclusive of the agency of force as a primary measure, may we acquire the direct authority over such a population, which is necessary to our purpose, or the accomplishment of the desired. change in their religious ceremonial?"

If at all practicable, the first and most important step

But while, for the reasons above stated, we were precluded from the use of force as a primary measure, Captain Macpherson would have it to be carefully kept sight of as, in special cases, an ultimate and secondary means. "If," says he, "we should gain the mass, the great majority of any tribe, it may be highly advantageous, and quite possible, to coerce individuals."

D

would seem to be, to secure the establishment of our supremacy or sovereignty over them, and consequently, of distinct relations with them as subjects.

But, force being excluded, how is the establishment of our direct sovereignty to be secured, any more than the direct abolition of the Meriah sacrifice? To this Captain Macpherson in substance replies,-by conferring appreciable and valued benefits; by ministering to some of their leading social wants; by acting on some of the leading tendencies of their character. Now, by watching narrowly the workings and conditions of the social system among the Khonds-the spirit of their manners and habits of feeling-Captain Macpherson was led to conclude that Justice was the greatest of their wants,--the want, too, the regulated supply of which would be universally hailed as the greatest boon. He, therefore, unhesitatingly proposed, that, among the measures, by the combination and gradual development of which, we might hope to acquire a direct authority or supremacy over the Khonds, the offer and attempt to administer justice, by arbitrating, not merely between individuals of the same tribe, but also between their several tribes and authorities, should occupy the foremost place.

This being the master key to the system of measures originally suggested by Captain Macpherson-approved of and adopted, in principle, by the Supreme Government-and subsequently acted on, in practice, by their author,—we may now furnish his own exposition of them :-

"It is obvious, that the voluntary and permanent acknowledgment of our sovereignty by these rude societies, must depend upon our ability to discharge beneficially and acceptably towards them, some portion of the duties of sovereignty-that they will spontaneoualy yield allegiance to us, only in return for advantages which are suited in form, and in spirit, to their leading ideas and their social wants.

Now it appears distinctly that the great social defect for these clusters of tribes-a defect which they have in some quarters feebly attempted to remedy,— is, the want of a supreme controlling authority,-of a power able to arbitrate betwixt different tribes, and betwixt tribes and the zemindaries; and this want, I think, we may, by direct and by indirect means, to a certain extent, supply-claiming and receiving allegiance in return—and laying the foundation of a general ascendancy.

The Patriarchal authority suffices for the maintenance of order and security within each tribe. But, without, all is discord and confusion. Betwixt Tribes, are every where seen disagreements, conflicts, feuds without end and without remedy, and the zemindars are at once the allies and the chief enemies of each Khond Society.

Justice betwixt independent societies is, in a word, the great want which is deeply felt by all; and I found the expectation that those tribes may be brought to receive it at our hands, to the extent which naturally gives rise to