606 Lieut Kittoe's Journey through the Forests of Orissa. [July, 



Art. VII. — Account of a Journey from Sumbulpur to Mednipur, 

 through the Forests of Orissa. By Lieut. M. Kittoe. 



{Continued from page 480.) 



May 28th. I resumed my march at half-past 2 a. m. ; the morn- 

 ing was very clear, and sufficiently light for me to see as much as 

 was necessary after my observations the previous evening. 



I had almost forgotten to mention, that yesterday evening a very 

 intelligent person from Lehra had given me a good deal of information, 

 which, if quite correct, would be very valuable. Having learnt from 

 me the ghat I was proceeding to in the Keunjur hills, he told me that 

 I had come much too far south, that I ought to have continued due 

 east from Sonamoonda, where I had turned southward, and have 

 crossed the river at Barakot, a place at the foot of the hills between 

 which it flows by a very narrow pass, and that from thence to thfr 

 mountain chain, the path was direct and tolerably good; he added, 

 that it led to a pass that had not yet been examined, and which is in a 

 very good direction. 



In consequence of this information I determined to regain the pro- 

 per line by avoiding Lehra, and proceeding direct to a place called 

 Goorsunk, distant fourteen and a quarter miles. On first starting I went 

 through the village and then descended into the bed of the river, which 

 I crossed in a direction slightly diagonal, passing over several islands ; 

 the distance across was half a mile. The gravel in the river's bed 

 consists chiefly of granite, gneiss, quartz, and much jasper of variegated 

 colors. I could not discover the slightest trace of coal, so that I feel 

 the more positive of the correctness of a former conjecture of mine, 

 that the coal measures are confined to the country below the gneiss 

 and granite formation, extending along the northern boundary of 

 Talcher, Ungool, and Rehrakol. 



Having reached the opposite bank I travelled in a north-easterly di- 

 rection over tracts of very rich soil, with an equal proportion of jungle and 

 cultivation, till I reached a large village amidst beautiful mango topes, 

 called Hunnaum, distant one and a quarter miles from Barsing; 

 from hence to another respectable place called Bumpura, nine miles 

 further on. I passed through a thin forest of saul with occasional patches 

 of cultivation, the path inclining more to the eastward than before ; the 

 soil is exceedingly rich, consequently the heavy rain of the previous 

 evening had rendered the road very muddy and difficult to travel over; 

 in this there was one advantage, for it shewed the necessity of metal- 

 ling, should the road pass this way. It is really lamentable to see 

 such fine lands left uncultivated. 



