field diary 1832 deciphering problems

[JanSeifert]

Regarding »cates«. Now having access to the OED (even »out here in the jungle«) I pondered over the problem. I think, Jenkins used »cates« in a sense of »pods«, in the first instance with cotton and oil plants, in the second with poppy (although I do not know if pod is the proper word for the thing that remains after the flower loses its petals).
Read in that sense the sentences get a meaning: »fine green cates« and »luxuriant poppy cates«.

There is still a few more spots to clean up. So if you find time, please take a minute to cast a look upon them. see: list of issues (post 201)

Jan

[JanSeifert]

The remaining (solved) puzzles:
2.6   »We are accompanied by a party of 5 or 7 escaped Assamese who have found their way back within these 3 or 4 months. An old woman is the only one who was carried off. The rest have been born of Asam parents, since dead, who were carried away by a party of Singphos and then were somewhere on the banks of the Ninghtee...«

7.1   »cates« used as »pods«

41.1   thermometer

52m.2   well

88.1   Seal Jumoona, actually Seel

93.1   Hargatty, actually Horgāti

106.1   Karicōna

116m.1   Cham, a wood used for posts, beams and small boats

121m.1, 2   kept »as is«

124.1   luggie, a rod or pole, supposedly an "english dialect" (which?)

136.1   burners, soorkhie (Hobson-Jobson: SOORKY , s. Pounded brick used to mix with lime to form a hydraulic mortar. Hind. from Pers. surkhī, 'redstuff.')

141.1 kept »as is«

143.1   »cates« used as »pods«

Thanks again for all your input!
Jan

[JanSeifert]

two, related, questions. i guess its the same word:
the long text reads:
»
foot of Ooheesaba hill
plain [??] of Ooheesaba village
village of Yueekhe
«

the second is embedded in the sentence
»
Camp in forest in Assam plain, [??] of the Naga hills
«

Jan

[shanghaipanda]

Could it be "north"?

[JanSeifert]

Of course! Thank you. I guess I was distracted of the ominous dot in the first example. That »i« blocked my reasoning completely.

Jan

[JanSeifert]

Regarding »cates«. Now having access to the OED (even »out here in the jungle«) I pondered over the problem. I think, Jenkins used »cates« in a sense of »pods«, in the first instance with cotton and oil plants, in the second with poppy (although I do not know if pod is the proper word for the thing that remains after the flower loses its petals).
Read in that sense the sentences get a meaning: »fine green cates« and »luxuriant poppy cates«.

There is still a few more spots to clean up. So if you find time, please take a minute to cast a look upon them. see: list of issues (post 201)

Jan

Getting further along with the research and now having found the first part of the diary (though as a  copy) in Nottingham, I came to the conlusion that »Cates« is Jenkinsish for Khets (fields). It makes so much more sense now. Thank you all for your help!