a province of Eastern India, situate in the north-east of the Bengal territory, between the 25th and 29th degrees of north latitude, and the 90th and 97th degrees of east longitude. Its boundaries are Bhutan on the north and Boabdin-north-west; Thibet on the north-east; Burmah on the south-east; Cachar, Jyntea, and the tract inhabited by the Cossyral tribes on the south; and the district of Goalpara on the west. Assam is an immense valley, surrounded on all sides, except upon the west, by mountains of considerable elevation, and interspersed with numerous eminences in the interior, rising abruptly from the general level. The whole superficies is calculated at 21,805 sq. miles, a large portion of which is occupied by woods and rivers. Probably the rivers intersecting Assam are more numerous than those of any other country of equal extent, a consequence resulting from its being environed by hills. The valley is divided throughout by the Brahmapootra into two nearly equal parts; and many islands, some of them very large, are formed by the confluence and mutual intersection of numerous rivers, which contribute alike to fertilize the ground and to facilitate the intercourse of the inhabitants. Of these rivers not less than sixty-one are known and distinguished by particular names, of which thirty-four flow from the northern, twenty-four from the southern mountains, and the remainder from sources beyond the confines of Assam. The streams of the south are not rapid, and have no considerable current until May or June. The Brahmapootra, one of the largest rivers in the world, derives its source from a well or circular basin at the eastern extremity of the Brahmakund valley; it enters Assam not by a deep chasm, but by a series of cascades caused by the accumulation of blocks of stone which have been propelled forward by the torrent, and thus create a succession of rapids. Its earliest feeders after crossing the frontier are the Kundil and the Digaroo, flowing from the Mishmi Hills on the north, and the Tenga Penee and Nob Dihing which take their rise on the Singpho Hills to the south-east. Shortly afterwards it receives the Dibong, flowing from the north-east; but its principal confluent is the Dihong, which deriving its origin under the name of the Sanpoor, from a spot in the vicinity of the source of the Sutlej, flows in a direction precisely opposite to that river, and traversing the table-land of Thibet at the back of the great Himalaya range falls into the Brahmapootra in Lat. 27.48°, Long. 95.26°, after a course of nearly 1000 miles. Doubts were long entertained whether the Dihong could be justly regarded as the continuation of the Sanpoor; these, however, have been gradually removed by the additional testimony of more recent notices; and as it is ascertained moreover that the last-named river does not flow into the Irawaddy, it appears impossible to account for its course to the sea, except by presuming it to discharge its waters into the Brahmapootra through the channel of the Dihong. Below the confluence the united stream flows in a south-westerly direction, forming the boundary between the districts of Luckinpoore and Durrung, situate on its northern bank, and those of Sudiya, Seepoor, and Nowgong on the south; and finally bisecting Camroop, the lowest of the six districts into which Assam is distributed, it crosses over the frontier of the province and passes into Bengal. In its course it receives on the left side the Booree Dehing, a river having its rise at the south-eastern angle of the province; and lower down on the opposite side it parts with a considerable offset termed the Booree Lohit, which, however, reunites with the Brahmapootra 60 miles below the point of divergence, bearing with it the additional waters of the Sobu Sheree flowing from Thibet. A second offset under the name of the Kul- lung River rejoins the parent stream a short distance above the town of Gowhatty. The remaining rivers are too numerous to be particularized. Among the islands formed by the intersection and confluence of the rivers is Majuli, or the Great Island, as it is called by pre-eminence. This island extends 55 miles in length by about 10 in breadth, and is formed by the river Brahmapootra on the south-east, and the Boorce Lohit on the north-west. A Persian writer, Mahammed Cazim, in describing Assam at the latter end of the seventeenth century, makes some observations on its general appearance, which, as he bore no favour to the inhabitants, may probably merit the greater confidence. He thus speaks of Majuli—"an island well inhabited, and in an excellent state of agriculture; it contains a spacious, clear, and pleasant country. The cultivated part is bounded by a thick forest which harbours elephants, and where these animals may be caught as well as in four or five other forests in Assam. If there be occasion for them, five or six hundred elephants may be procured in a year." Describing the country south of the Brahmapootra, the same author observes, "across the river on the side of Ghergong is a wide, agreeable, level country that delights the heart of the beholder. The whole face of it is marked with population and tillage; and it presents on every side charming prospects of ploughed fields, harvests, gardens, and groves. From the village of Salagerah to the city of Ghergong, a space of about 50 coss (100 miles), is filled with such an uninterrupted range of gardens, plentifully stocked with fruit trees, that it appears as one garden. Within them are the houses of peasants, and a beautiful assemblage of coloured and fragrant herbs, and of garden and wild flowers blowing together. As the country is overflowed in the rainy season, a high and broad causeway has been raised for the convenience of travellers from Salagerah to Ghergong, which is the only uncultivated ground that is to be seen. Each side of this road is planted with shady bamboos, the tops of which meet and are entwined. Among the fruits which this country produces are mangoes, plantains, jacks, oranges, citrons, limes, and puniaheh, a species of amlech, which has such an excellent flavour that every person who tastes it prefers it to the plum. There are also coconut trees, pepper-vines, areca trees, and the sadij (an aromatic leaf), in great plenty. Sugar cane excels in softness and sweetness, and is of three colours, black, red, and white; there is ginger free from fibres and betel vines. The strength of vegetation and fertility of the soil is such, that whatever seed is sown, or slips planted, they always thrive. The environs of Ghergong furnish small apricots, yams, and pomegranates; but as these are wild, and not assisted by cultivation and engrafting, they are very indifferent. The principal crop of this country consists in rice and mash. Ades, a kind of pea, is very scarce, and wheat and barley are never sown." And in respect to the other great division of the province he remarks, "The country which is on the northern side of the Brahmapootra is in the highest state of cultivation, and produces plenty of pepper and areca nuts. It even surpasses the southern portion in population and tillage; but as the latter contains a greater tract of wild forests, and places difficult of access, the rulers of Assam have chosen to reside in it for the convenience of control, and have erected in it the capital of the kingdom. The breadth of the Northern Division from the bank of the river to the foot of the mountains, which is a cold climate and contains snow, is various, but is nowhere less than 30 miles nor more than 90. The inhabitants of those mountains are strong, have a robust and respectable appearance, and are of a middling size. Their complexions, like those of the natives of all cold climates, are red and white; and they have also trees and fruits peculiar to frigid regions." Various agricultural products appear to have been introduced since the time of Mahammed Cazim. Wheat and barley are now raised, though only to a small extent; but cotton, tobacco, and the poppy are extensively grown. The indigenous trees producing lac, and those yielding the gum known as caoutchouc, are of great importance. But perhaps the most valuable of the vegetable products of Assam is the tea plant. This was first discovered in 1823, while the country was part of the Burmese dominions, by Mr Robert Bruce, who had proceeded thither on a mercantile speculation. The war with the British breaking out shortly after, and a brother of the first discoverer happening to be appointed to the command of a division of gun boats employed in some part of the operations, he followed up the pursuit of the subject and obtained several hundred plants and a considerable quantity of seed. Some specimens were ultimately forwarded to the superintendent of the Botanic Garden at Calcutta. In 1832 Captain Jenkins was deputed by the Governor-general of India, Lord William Bentinck, to report upon the resources of the country, when the tea plant was brought to his especial notice by Mr Bruce; and in 1834 a minute was recorded by the Governor-general on the subject, to which it is said his attention had been called in 1827 before his departure from England. In accordance with the views of that minute, a committee was appointed to prosecute inquiries, and to promote the cultivation of the plant. Communications were opened with China with a view to obtaining plants and seeds from thence, and a deputation composed of gentlemen well versed in botanical studies was despatched into Assam. Some seeds were obtained from China; but this probably was of small importance, as it was clearly ascertained by the members of the Assam deputation, that both the black and the green tea plants were indigenous there, and might be multiplied to any extent; but another result of the Chinese mission, that of procuring persons skilled in the cultivation and manufacture of black tea, was of more material benefit. Subsequently, under Lord Auckland, a further supply of Chinese cultivators and manufacturers was obtained, these being acquainted with the processes necessary for the production of green tea, as the former were with those requisite for black. In 1838 the first twelve chests of tea from Assam were received in England. They had been injured in some degree on the passage, but on samples being submitted to brokers and others of long experience and tried judgment, the reports were highly favourable. It was never, however, the intention of government to carry on the trade; from the first it was proposed to resign it to private adventure, as soon as the experimental course could be considered fairly completed. Mercantile associations for the culture and manufacture of tea in Assam began to be formed as early as 1839, and in 1849 the government disposed of their establishments, relinquishing the pursuit to the ordinary operation of commercial enterprise. In 1851 the crop of the Assam Tea Company was estimated to produce 280,000 lbs., and the general aspect of the affairs of that company is described in their latest report as satisfactory and promising.

The climate of Assam is said to be more temperate than that of Bengal, and subject to less variation. The warm weather is moderate, and the nights cool and refreshing. The mean temperature of the four hottest months does not exceed 80°; that of the winter season amounts to 57°, and the mean annual temperature may be stated at 67°. The rains are of unusual duration, commencing in March and continuing till the middle of October. Earthquakes are frequent. No less than twelve are stated to have occurred in the twelve months between May 1834 and May 1835; in 1845 a shock was experienced at Nowgong, whereby considerable damage was sustained.

A meagre sketch is all that is possessed of the geology of Assam. The mountains on the opposite sides of the valley are characterized by distinct systems, those on the north being composed of primitive formations, while those on the south partake largely of sandstone, shell-limestone, and coal. Some valuable minerals, however, are met with; gold-dust is found in all the rivers flowing from the northern mountains, but it differs in purity and colour, and also in malleability. That which is obtained in the Dekrung is particularly celebrated, and is distinguished by a higher colour than that found in the Brahmaputra, though it is more abundant in the bed of the latter river. The greatest quantities of gold are found nearest the mountains, which probably indicates that it is carried down from them by the torrents; but it is never sought in the southern rivers. Beds of iron ore exist in various places, and tracings of former workings to a considerable extent remain; but the native articles being undersold by iron imported from England, as well as from adjacent provinces, is by this competition driven out of the market. In noticing the mineral productions, coal must not be overlooked. It has been discovered in beds of considerable magnitude, from the banks of the Noh Dihing in the south-eastern extremity of the province, to the vicinity of the Kassilie River, within 60 miles of Gowhatti; and from the circumstance of its existence at these two extremities, as well as in several intermediate localities, there appear grounds for the inference that the coal formations of Assam are co-extensive with the whole length of the valley. In 1831 specimens of this mineral, derived from the coal-bed of Jaipur, on the Booree Dehing, were forwarded by the Government of India for analysis to Professor Oldham, the superintendent of the geological survey. The professor's report, though not given sufficiently in detail, owing to the condition in which the specimens reached their destination, was still so far encouraging as to induce the belief that the labour of further search would be amply remunerated. Neither copper nor silver are found in Assam. Rock-salt is dug out of the earth, and brine springs are not uncommon in some localities, from the produce of which salt is made; but the manufacture is costly, and the salt is fully as expensive as that imported.

The zoology of Assam presents little that is remarkable. Wild elephants abound and commit many depredations, entering villages in large herds, and consuming everything suitable to their tastes. Many are caught by means of female elephants previously tamed, and trained to decoy males into the snare prepared for subjecting them to captivity. A considerable number are tamed and exported from Assam every year, but the speculation appears to be somewhat precarious, as it is said about twice the number exported are annually lost in the course of training. Many are killed every year in the forests for the sake of the ivory which they furnish; and the supply must be very great which can afford so many for export and destruction without any perceptible diminution in their number. The rhinoceros is found in the denser parts of the forests, and generally in swampy places. This animal is hunted and killed for its skin and its horn. The skin affords the material for the best shields. The horn is sacred in the eyes of the natives. Contrary to the usual belief, it is stated that if caught young, the rhinoceros is easily tamed, and becomes strongly attached to his keeper. Tigers abound, and though many are annually destroyed for the sake of the government reward, their numbers seem scarcely at all to diminish. Their destruction is sometimes effected by poisoned arrows discharged from an instrument somewhat resembling a cross bow, in which the arrow is previously fixed, and a string connected with the trigger carried across the path in front of the arrow, and fastened to a peg. The animal thus struck is commonly found dead at the distance of a few yards from the engine prepared for his destruction. Leopards and bears are numerous; and the Arcotonia Collaris of Cuvier, a small animal somewhat resembling a bear, but having the snout, eyes, and tail of a hog, is found. Among the most formidable animals known is the wild buffalo, which is of great size, strength, and fierceness. Many deaths being caused by this animal, a reward is given for its destruction. The fox and the jackal exist, and the wild hog is very abundant. Goats, deer of various kinds, hares, and two or three species of antelope are found, as are monkeys in great variety. The porcupine, the squirrel, the civet cat, the ichneumon, and the otter are common. The birds are too various to admit of enumeration—wild game is plentiful; pheasants, partridges, snipes, and water fowl of many descriptions furnish attraction for the sportsman. Vultures and some other birds of prey are met with. Crocodiles swarm in all parts of the Brahmaputra. Tortoises are numerous, and constitute a staple article of food sold in the bazars. Porpoises are common, their favourite resort being the entrance of some tributary stream into the great river. There they are hunted and speared by the natives. Serpents of many kinds exist. Leeches abound; and a land leech is very common in the hills, especially during the rains, when it is found clinging to every bush and blade of grass. It is believed that it might be applied in the exercise of the curative art, as harmlessly as the ordinary medicinal leech, and with similar results. The Brahmaputra abounds with very fine fish in great variety, including the mullet.

The population of Assam is returned at 780,935. The History Assamese are descendants of a race called Ahoms, who, and many about the thirteenth century, emigrated from some more northerly eastern region and possessed themselves of the country; inhabiting, but having no females of their own race, took wives from the aborigines, a circumstance favourable to their stability. Of the religion of the conquerors it seems impossible to speak except in negative terms. It is said to have exhibited no trace of Buddhism. Its followers were not Hindus, for they ate beef; nor Mahometans, for they were consumers of pork. Other descriptions of animal food, almost universally considered repulsive, entered into their gastronomic repertory, and in this respect they seem to have resembled the Chinese. The Assamese have been described as a degenerate, weakly race; more so, indeed, than the people of Bengal. This, however, is questioned by late observers, who, while admitting the Assamese to be physically inferior to the people of the north-west provinces, regard them as greatly superior to those of Bengal. In complexion they are represented to be somewhat lighter than the Bengalese. Their faces are flat; they have high cheek-bones, and in general physiognomy bear a resemblance to the Chinese. Their hair is black, coarse, and lank. The beard is scanty, and the small quantity bestowed by nature is usually plucked out. The personal characteristics of the women are decidedly superior to those of the other sex. They are fair to a degree not usually met with in India, and many of them, it is said, would in any part of the world be considered beautiful. In most parts of the country they do not affect the personal concealment common in the East, but appear in public as in Europe. The state of morals in both sexes is low. Among the men falsehood and knavery are predominant. They are lazy and utterly careless as to making provision for the future. If compelled to labour, they abandon their work after a day or two, and resort to the more pleasant occupations of drinking arrack and chewing opium. The female part of the population estimate lightly that virtue which is the peculiar ornament of their sex. It is considered a disgrace for a girl to remain unmarried after the attainment of a marriageable age; but, as among the humbler classes this is often unavoidable, the fact of her becoming a mother before she is a wife occasions no scandal, and a parent will bargain for her daughter's honour with as much coolness as if for the sale or hire of a domestic animal. The health of the women is said to be injuriously acted upon by this state of manners and morals. Those who escape the stigma attached to protracted spinsterhood incur the cares and dangers of maternity before the constitution has acquired sufficient strength to sustain them without injury; while those who remain unmarried till a later period of life do not necessarily escape this source of debility, while they are exposed also to the enervating consequences of a career of illicit indulgence. Children are not numerous, and of those born the proportion who die before reaching the second stage of life is large. The darker shades of Assamese life are, however, relieved by a few gleams of light. The respect paid to old age is great. The affection of parents for their children also appears strong, and the bonds of family connection generally are maintained and strengthened by the exercise of kindness. Beyond their own caste, how- ever, little of good-feeling seems to exist among the people. The Assamese have always been a people of warlike habits; this fact being vouched not only by their original conquest, but by the extension also of the conquered territory. In 1638, during the reign of the Emperor Shah Jehan, the Assamese descended the Brahmaputra and pillaged the country round the city of Dacca; they were expelled by the governor of Bengal, who retaliated upon the plunderers by ravaging Assam. During the civil wars between the sons of Shah Jehan, the king of Assam renewed his predatory incursions into Bengal; upon the termination of the contest, Aurungzebe determined to avenge these repeated insults, and despatched a considerable force for the regular invasion of the Assamese territory. His general, Meer Jumla, defeated the Rajah, who fled to the mountains, and most of the chief's made their submission to the conqueror. But the rains set in with unusual violence, and Meer Jumla's army was almost annihilated by famine and sickness. Thus terminated the last expedition against Assam by the Mahometans, whose fortunes in this country were never prosperous. A writer of the Mahometan faith says, "Whenever an invading army has entered their territories, the Assamese have sheltered themselves in strong posts, and have distressed the enemy by stratagems, surprises, and alarms, and by cutting off their provisions. If these means failed they have declined a battle in the field, but have carried the peasants into the mountains, burned the grain, and left the country desert. But when the rainy season has set in upon the advancing enemy, they have watched their opportunity to make excursions and vent their rage; the famished invaders have either become their prisoners or been put to death. In this manner powerful and numerous armies have been sunk in that whirlpool of destruction, and not a soul has escaped." The same writer states that the country was spacious, populous, and hard to be penetrated; that it abounded in dangers; that the paths and roads were beset with difficulties; and that the obstacles to conquest were more than could be expressed. The inhabitants, he says, were enterprising, well armed, and always prepared for battle. Moreover they had lofty forts numerously garrisoned and plentifully provided with warlike stores; and the approach to them was opposed by thick and dangerous jungles, and broad and boisterous rivers. The difficulties in the way of successful invasion are of course not exaggerated, as it was the object of the writer to exalt the prowess and perseverance of the faithful. He accounts for their temporary success by recording that, "the Mussulman hordes experienced the comfort of fighting for their religion, and the blessings of it reverted to the sovereignty of his just and pious majesty." The short-lived triumph of the Mussulmans might, however, have warranted a less ambitious tone. About the middle of the seventeenth century the chief became a convert to Hinduism. By what mode the conversion was effected does not clearly appear, but whatever were the means employed it seems that the decline of the country commenced about the same period. Internal dissensions, invasion, and disturbances of every kind convulsed the province, and neither prince nor people enjoyed security. Late in the eighteenth century some interference took place on the part of the British government, then conducted by Lord Cornwallis; but the successor of that nobleman, Sir John Shore, adopting the non-intervention policy, withdrew the British force, and abandoned the country to its fate. Its condition encouraged the Burmese, an aggressive people, to depose the Rajah and to make Assam a dependency of Ava. The extension of their encroachments on a portion of the territory of the East India Company compelled the British Government to take decisive steps for its own protection. Hence arose the series of hostilities with Ava, known in Indian history as the first Burmese war, on the termination of which by treaty in February 1826, Assam remained a British possession. In Assam in 1833 that portion of the province denominated Upper Assam, was formed into an independent native state, and conferred upon Poorunder Sing, the ex-Rajah of the country; but the administration of this chief proved unsatisfactory, and in 1838 his principality was reunited with the British dominions.