'History of the Indian Navy. (1613-1863).' [‎446] (465/622)

446
HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAYT.
pushed on to Sylhet. During the stay at Dacca, the Detach
ment lost some men of fever.
Lieutenant Lewis proceeded to Sylhet during the height of
the monsoon, Acting-master Connor being left behind at Dacca
with a small party, chiefly time-expired men, the complement
of the Sylhet force being made up to a hundred by new hands
from Calcutta. Lieutenant Lewis writes from Sylhet on the
20th of August, 1858 " We arrived at Sylhet after a most
disagreeable passage of eleven days from Dacca, pulling boats
over paddy fields amongst legions of musquitoes and flies. We
have very good quarters here, everybody very civil, and willing
to do all they can for us; the Sylhet Light Infantry turned
out and received us with military honours, great cheering, &c.
It has been pouring down ever since we came here. They had
made no arrangement for an hospital for us, notwithstanding
that I wrote to them about it when we were first ordered here.
We shall have to build one, which will take a long time I am
afraid." On the 13th of November he writes:— 46 1 have only
fifty of my old men left, their terms of service are gradually
expiring, but they do not seem particularly anxious to be dis
charged. The men suffer very severely from fever, and we
have always a large number sick and convalescent. The
Doctor tells me he does not consider more than seventy of the
men are fit for service now; in consequence I have established
a small canteen, which answers capitally, and we have a
theatre, built by subscription of the residents, who are a very
good set of fellows, and so, the sickness excepted, it is a very
good station." In January, 1859, Lieutenant Lewis was directed
to proceed to Dibrooghur, on the extreme North-East Frontier
of Assam, to relieve Lieutenant Davies' Detachment, which had
been quartered there since the 2nd of October, 1857, and, in
the following month, he proceeded against the Abor # hillmen.
The Detachment engaged numbered sixty-two petty officers and
seamen, and the following officers :—Lieutenant T. E. Lewis,
in command. Lieutenant W. H. M. Davies, whose Detachment
* Dr. McCosh, who had medical charge of G-oalpara and G-owhatty, published
in 1837, an instructive work on the " Topography of Assam," which was enriched
by the observations of Captain (afterwards Greneral Sir) F. Jenkins, who was
employed on a special mission to Assam in 1839, and at this time (1859) was the
Agent of the G-overnor-Greneral and Officer Commanding on the North-East
Frontier. The Abors, Bor Abors, and Mishmees inhabit an extensive range of
mountainous country along the southern side of the great Himalayan chain
bordering on Thibet and China. Speaking of the state of affairs in Upper Assam
at this time, Sir Frederick Halliday says in his ^Minute on the Mutinies as they
affected the Lower Provinces —" To reach the furthest stations in Upper Assam
occupies almost as long a time as a journey to England ; add to this the neigh
bourhood of numerous and formidable tribes of savages, with some of whom we
are always more or less in collision, and the comparatively recent occupation of
/the Province (since the Burmese War of 1826), and it will be acknowledged that
these in themselves afford no inconsiderable cause of anxiety."