1844.] Note on the Navigation of the river Nurbudda. 497 



This survey* was made in 1833-34, and from it Captain Ouseley, 

 considered that " the possibility of making the whole river navigable 

 exists, but the expenses would be great, with the exception of Dha- 

 dree, where a loch would be requisite, or portage if an uninterrupted 

 navigation were adopted. There is noplace from Behraghur near Jub- 

 bulpoor to the mouth of the river, that might not be rendered passable 

 for such boats as are now used, thirty or forty feet long and eight or 

 ten wide, flat bottoms. All the places in the sketch marked as rapids 

 could, with trifling expenee, be rendered passable. Mundhar, twenty 

 or twenty-five miles east of Dhadree, is a fall of ten feet, but on one 

 side a rapid only, and could be cleared. From Dowlutpoor to Oon- 

 kerjee, the sides are high rocks generally, and a contracted and very 

 rapid current running among detached rocks and islets." 



The rest of this portion he speaks of as wide and navigable. Regard- 

 ing the fall of forty feet at Dhadree, he considered, that even if this 

 proved an insurmountable obstacle to a continued navigation, it might 

 be made a place for unloading above, and replacing the goods in other 

 boats below the fall ; a portage of half a mile only would be required. 

 It must be borne in mind, however, that these opinions were ex- 

 pressed upon the report of a native surveyor, who, although a man of 

 apparent intelligence, could have had no experience, and very limit- 

 ed knowledge of the means available for improving navigation. It 

 does not appear, moreover, that he took any steps for ascertaining with 

 accuracy the fall of the river, or making such observations as would 

 afford grounds for deciding on the steps which would be necessary for 

 overcoming the obstructions to be met with, 



In 1840, in consequence of the repeated representations of Lieutenant 

 2d. Lieut. Hore's Hore, Junior Assistant at Saugor, an experimental 

 experimental trial, trialt tQ transport coal by rafts from Hosungabad 



was made on a small scale by Lieutenant Browne, Principal Assistant 

 at Hosungabad. 



In reporting in November 1840, the total failure of the attempt, 

 Captain Browne writes as follows: " From Hosungabad to a distance 

 of 20 or 25 miles below Hindea, the river is open during the rains ; 



* The original survey is not to be found on record, Captain Ouseley appears only 

 to have submitted the result of it with his opinions, 

 f Made between August and November, 1840, 



