ROADS AND CARRIAGE. 25 



The Korewas and Paharias are wild and not very numerous tribes in 



Palamow, but are more abundant in Sirguja. They 

 Korewas and Paharias. ti i 



are not hkely to be of much account as labourers. 



The Agurias are chiefly iron-smelters, but some have taken to 



cultivation. Colonel Dalton refers them to the 

 Aguria iron-smelters. 



Munda family, while the Kol-lohars are considered 



to be Oraons. The statement made by Mr. Justice Phear in a memoran- 

 dum* on the iron of Karanpura, that the Agurias are a low caste of 

 Aryans, therefore is probably incorrect. But there is no doubt that the 

 Loharias proper, or workers in iron, of whom also there are representa- 

 tives iu Palamow, are Hindus. Occasionally, I believe, these latter smelt, 

 as well as refine and work up iron. 



All these artificers would be useful and could be easily trained to 

 manipulate iron ores in the European fashion. But for general purposes 

 the Oraons would furnish the best and most abundant labour. 



In Palamow the Oraons are found in various parts ; those in the more 



open tracts having lost many of their tribal 

 Oraons. • ■ t m 



characteristics. In Toree they appeared to me to 



be tolerably numerous. From other parts of Chutia Nagpur they could 



be attracted in large numbers if necessary. At present a steady current 



of them flows in the direction of Assam and Cachar ; the only means of 



arresting which, and preventing depopulation of wide areas in Chutia 



Nagpur, will be to give them remunerative occupation nearer their homes. 



Section 2. — Boads and Carriage. 



This section might almost be written in the words, mutatis mutandis, 



of Aldrovandius^ famous chapter concerning the owls of Iceland. 



Of jowc^a -bridged roads there is not a single example in the whole 



area. The few roads that do exist are little better 

 Principal roads. 



than mere fair-weather tracks. Of these the 



^ See Appendix F. to a paper read before the Bengal Social Science Association on the 

 24th July 18V6. 



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