near Chandernagore on the 17th May 1849, between Captain Arthur Sanders, 44th Bengal Native Infantry, Assistant Quartermaster-General at Calcutta, who was attended by Captains H. Fraser and C. S. Guthrie, both of them Bengal Engineers, and M. Charles Bermond, a French Medical Practitioner of Calcutta. The quarrel between the parties had its origin in Captain Sanders' attention to the step-daughter of Dr. Bermond which the worthy medico looked upon as mere flirtation and resented accordingly. Captain Sanders received the fire of his opponent but declined to fire in return, greatly to the Frenchman's rage and disgust. I am credibly informed that so great was Dr. Bermond's indignation at Captain Sanders' refusal to fire at him that at a subsequent period he made the matter the subject of a special letter of complaint addressed to the Commander-in-Chief Sir Charles Napier."

Although the decay of the practice of duelling in Great Britain was inevitably followed by its decay in India, the death of the duel was a lingering one. According to the second and fifth of "the articles made by His Majesty for the better government of the forces," duelling became an offence against Military laws; but it was not until the year 1843 when an association of officers, civilians and noblemen was formed to discourage duelling, that the tide of a new public opinion succeeded in making any headway against the time-honoured custom. In India especially, where young officers were invariably high-spirited and quarrelsome, duelling appears to have been regarded as an ingrained element of soldierly feeling. Generals and governors everywhere were men of the old school with ideas of honour which nothing could shake. At the head of them all was the great

Hardinge, who had been distinguished in the Peninsular War, been wounded at Ligny, and had acted as second to Wellington on an occasion when the Iron Duke came out in person. It required a new generation to write Finis" to the crimson catalogue. Of that catalogue, however, let us not take leave before reverently recording from Hickey's Gazette of August 1780: "A few days ago a dispute arose between two young gentlemen not many miles from Serampore about a young lady of sooty complexion. The friends of both parties were under some apprehension that a duel would have been the consequence, but it happily ended in reciprocal bastinado." It is one more instance of the trifling causes that gave rise to dark disputes.

HENRY KHUNDKAR.

Art III.-THE KOL REBELLIONS OF 1832-33.

THE great rebellions which occurred in the district

of Ranchi in the first half of the nineteenth century have given rise to three versions. It shows how a given fact may be twisted into innumerable ramifications, in order to suit the predisposed of individual cultures and nationa

susceptibilities idiosyncrasies.

The Mundas and Oraons of Chota Nagpur had lived in their mountainous fastnesses and woody glens, without coming much in contact with the outside world, till the British suzerainty asserted its rights over their possessions.

The Munda-Oraon version is at once silly and superficial. The Nagbansi version is based on actual occurrences, seen and handed down by persons who took part with the Company's officials in the suppression of the rising. It is both straightforward and genuine. The official version extracted from the late Colonel Dalton's "Ethnography" and the Statistical Account of the Lohardaga District by H. H. Risley, 1877, is cautious and complimentary to the other two accounts. The first version partakes of the Romantic and Mythological age of India, as the Kols of the Chota Nagpur plateau still live in the India of Aryavarta. The great Chhatri family of Nagbansis represent the mediaval civilization of Hindustan, brought about by the union. of the Turkoman chivalry of Central Asia and the pre-Aryan simplicity of Jharkhand and Jangal

Mahals.

was

The horse belonging to the thanadar (Police Officer) of Hatia used to damage the rayats' crops. On account of this the raiyats, at the instance of Lal Loknath Sai, of Hatia, cut the legs of the police officer's horse. The police officer reported to his superiors that the people of that part of the country were badmashes and daring, and that they were committing illegalities, being excited by Lal Loknath Sai. The Lal chalanned to Sherghati and there sent to jail. On account of this, the Lal secretly informed the people to rebel. On account of their rebellion, the Lal was taken to task by the Sarkar. The Lal said, "What can I do from here: If I am set free, I will try to put down the rebellion." The Lal being liberated, came home (Hatia) and duly informed the Sarkar that none of that locality were rebellious. It was the work of the people of Kuchang-people who had long noses and ears. The Lal led the men of the Sarkar towards Kuchang. He secretly instructed the Kuchang Mundas to cut trees and obstruct the passes. This was done, so the troops could not proceed up. Similarly their rear, too, was obstructed, so they could not retreat As soon as the pass was closed, the Mundas began to shoot arrows from the hills. Many were killed. The son of the Rajah of Deo who came to assist the English was

killed at Kuchang.

The following Hindi song called kharia in commemoration of the event is still sung by the Oraons and Mundas.

SONG KHARIA.

Deo Raja Ké Larka tira sẽ mara

Hari-gela kapetan sahib.

Deo Raja ke larka tira sẽ mara.

TRANSLATION.

Deo Raja's son was shot dead by arrows.
The Captain sahib was defeated.

Deo Raja's son was shot dead by arrows.

2. THE NAGBANSI VERSION.

The following particulars were told me by an old and well informed Thakur, who is a prominent member of the family of the Nagbansi Maharaja of Chota-Nagpur. His version can be verified from the official version and gives some interesting details, which are not found in the official account.

In Sambat 1888 the Mundas of Kuchang rebelled. The raiyats of Parganas Siri and Udaipur joined them. By and bye the Kols (Oraons and Mundas) of Lohardaga and Pithauria also made common cause with the above men and assaulted all those who were of different nationality. The latter (Kumhars, Bhuinyas, etc.,) with the exception of a few took, out of fear, the side of the Kols. The fighting took place in Paus 1888 Sambat. Two of the Lals of Sirgi were killed. Konwar Srinath Sah of Palkot was so much frightened that he sent for Lal Deonath Sah. Both Konwar Srinath Sah and Lal Deonath Sah went to Patna and informed Colonel Russel of what had taken place. Colonel Russel came to Deo (near Sherghati) and asked Raja Matar Bhan Sing Deo for help. The Raja accompanied the Colonel with 300 soldiers, i.e., Colonel Russel, too, had his own soldiers and guns and arrived at Pithauria. At Pithauria he fought an engagement with the rebellious Kols. Many Kols, who fought with arrows, were killed. Colonel Russel encamped at the Hatia gardens, where he constructed his quarters (bungalow). The sawars (troops) used to kill the Kols whenever they saw them. The Colonel ordered to kill all black heads